《Harry Potter and the Path to Nowhere》


 A Little Nightmare

    This is an idea that''s been running around in my head for a while, and with release of The Sounds of Nightmares, I thought I''d give it a go.


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    In a cupboard under the stairs lies a boy. Dirty, grimy, and far too small, he shivered beneath his thin, holey blanket. It wasn''t so bad during the summer months, where the heat stuck to you like a fly on filth. The thinness of the blanket was favorable during those times.


    But those times had long passed. It was now deep into fall with winter close enough you could shake its hand. Perhaps he would soon freeze to death, the thought more pleasant than it had any right to be. At least then he might not suffer so much, even if he was carted forth into hell.


    A shiver ran through his bony, corpse-like body. He could feel a drowsiness come over him, luring him into the land of dreams. Once upon a time, sleep would offer a refuge to his thoughts and the burdens of his life, one he would gladly seek out. However, recently, his dreams have changed. If one could even call them such.


    About a month ago he had visited a castle. Nothing strange about that, at least not at first. Looking at it from the outside, it became apparent, rather quickly, that there was something not quite right about the architecture. It leaned in far too many directions for one, and bulged like a bloated, tumorous whale for another.


    A moat protected it from intruders, nearly a hundred feet below, with water so black it may as well have been oil. If he looked hard enough, he could see wiggling underneath the surface. Like a million worms dancing to a tune he couldn''t hear.


    The air was dank and musty, like an old basement, and carried with it a chill. It was unlike the cold from his cupboard, as the feeling didn''t come from the temperature. More like the temperature came from the feeling. It was something else, something that he couldn''t explain, coming from a sense he didn''t know existed until this very moment.


    There was no way to enter the castle, save for an old, rickety rope bridge, covered in moss and vines, and all manner of muck. The boy decided to cross, almost feeling compelled to do so. Like being peer pressured by people who you know don''t care about you, but still you obey them in the hope of acceptance.


    Although, who he was hoping to be accepted by, he didn''t know. He only knew he should cross, and that was that.


    He took a step on the bridge, clinging to the stiff, coarse ropes with a desperate need, the muck on the wooden planks somehow both slippery and sticky. The bridge swayed in the gentle breeze as step by step he crossed, trying to ignore the wet squelching sounds he made with every footfall.


    He wished now more than ever he was allowed shoes. The feeling of the black sludge, whatever it was, on his bare feet was most uncomfortable.


    As he neared the center of the bridge, the wind took that moment to attack, almost like it was waiting in ambush. A fierce gale swept in from the north, and the gently swaying bridge became a tumultuous deathtrap. The boy clung to the rough, worn rope desperately, his hands burning from the effort.


    After a few moments that seemed like hours, the wind died down, returning to its previous calm nature. The boy sighed in relief as he fell to his knees. That was too close.


    However, nothing is ever so easy.


    His ears twitched as a peculiar sound reached them. Like tearing, or perhaps ripping. Turning his head his eyes widened in horror. The ropes holding the bridge together began to unravel, becoming thinner and thinner with each passing second.


    Was that why the wind stopped? Because it no longer needed to try and knock him into the murky depths below? Or was that what it was trying for the whole time? Destroy his only means of crossing safely?


    There was no time to ponder these things, he had only precious few seconds before the bridge collapsed in its entirety. Ignoring the sludge beneath him, he sprinted across the bridge.


    50 feet¡­


    40 feet¡­


    30 feet¡­


    20 feet¡­


    10 feet¡­


    He was almost there. Just a few more feet and he would reach the other side. He wasn''t sure if he was sprinting to safety or not, but it had to be better than whatever waited for him below.


    Unfortunately, time was not on his side. The rope finally unraveled and the bridge collapsed. He clung to the warped, moldy planks as he fell, swinging toward the cliffedge with startling speed.


    He grunted in pain as he careened into the rocky cliff. He breathed deeply, fearfully, with trembling gasps. Too close. That was far too close. Looking down, he could see some of the debris from the now destroyed bridge splash into the water below, agitating whatever lay beneath. The mass of writhing creatures, whatever they were, appeared to try and feast on the debris with a frenzied zeal.


    The boy shivered, not from the slight chill lingering in the air, but from imagining it was him and not rotten wood that had fallen. He cursed, not for the first time, his vivid imagination.


    He reached up to the next plank of wood, wincing at the groan it made. Carefully and slowly, he made his way to the top. It took longer than he would have liked, but he eventually reached the peak.


    Just one more board¡­


    That was when something grabbed him. Something large, larger even than his uncle. It pulled him up with the ease of an elephant lifting a sack of potatoes. The grip was powerful, and so tight he could feel something pop in his shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain.


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    Staring at the creature in front of him, the boy recoiled in horror. Its face was human in the loosest meaning of the word. It was wide, impossibly so, with pulsing growths beneath gray skin, stretching it taut. Its nose dangled below its chin, nearly past its neck, with another pulsing growth that seemed to glow faintly.


    Its eyes were sunken in past its skull, and so tiny they could barely be seen. Its ears, much like its nose, distended further than they had any right too, with another round, bubble-like growth attached.


    The corners of its mouth sagged downwards, with black, oily drool cascading out of it like a rabid bulldog. Lips wriggled and writhed as if there was something underneath trying to escape.


    Looking down, he could see the filthy attire the creature wore. A brown, scum covered long sleeved shirt, covered a rotund figure. It was a thick fabric, made to keep out the cold. If it weren''t so disgusting, the boy may have envied it for it.


    Its legs were tiny, barely taller than the boy himself, yet strong enough to hold its girth. He couldn''t tell if it was wearing pants, a distended stomach oozing something foul from its belly button blocked his view.


    Long fingers with thick, swollen tips held the boy firm, no matter how much he struggled. They were sticky in a way that reminded him of the gunk on the bridge, without the slippery part.


    Whatever the creature was, it wasn''t human. More like something pretending to be human, who had learned what a human looks like from a picasso painting.


    It regarded him for a moment, head tilted in confusion. The boy wondered if it had ever seen what a real human looked like. He was just glad it wasn''t squeezing tight enough to pop him anymore.


    The boy then noticed something rather alarming. The growths all around the creature''s face began to swell, and a strange gurgling sound emanated from the thing. Not long after, a popping sound rang out, and the areas surrounding the growths deflated, leaving sagging, wrinkled skin.


    It then opened its mouth, revealing a long puke green tongue, with countless numbers on tendrils growing out of it. But that wasn''t the worst part, not by a long shot.


    Out of its rancid smelling maw erupted countles squirming black things, coated in a sickly, yellow mucus. It leaned over the edge of the cliff, and vomited them into the moat below.


    So that''s what those things were. They looked like some kind of leech crossbred with a lamprey. That''s when the boy decided on a name for the creature holding him hostage, The Leecher.


    Once it was done depositing what the boy assumed was its young, The Leecher stood straight and returned its attention to the boy. Something he did not want. It seemed to contemplate something once more, before dangling the boy above the brackish waters below.


    No, it wouldn''t, thought the boy in disbelief. Was he about to be fed to its newly born offspring? He began struggling even harder, but the boy simply had no more strength left to give. His family starving him for years left him weak and lethargic. There was nothing he could do.


    The Leecher seemed to smile, the corners of its drooping mouth upturned ever so slightly, before it dropped him. The boy let out a silent scream as he fell. Closer and closer he approached the eager Leeches below, faster than he thought possible.


    Was this the end?


    Was he going to die here?


    No¡­


    No!


    "NO!"


    With an immense shout, the world around him exploded into a swirling vortex of colors. The rapid movement and spinning made him want to puke. A pop rang out clearly and the boy felt himself being squeezed through a tube. It was almost as unpleasant as being held by The Leecher.


    Almost. The smell was better at any rate.


    He felt himself falling again, but he couldn''t see where. Was he still above the moat, or was he somewhere else? He was far too dizzy to tell. But somehow, there was one thing in perfect focus.


    Amidst the swirling colors and fuzzy landscape was a figure even larger than The Leecher. It had saggy gray skin, wrinkled like a bulldog. Not unlike the aforementioned monster.


    Its face stretched down to its waist, looking like some kind of melted pachyderm. He couldn''t see its eyes, only long oval shaped holes where its eyes should be. He couldn''t see a mouth either, probably covered by all that squirming flesh.


    On top of its head was a fedora-like hat that somehow seemed too big and too small at the same time. Covering its body was a long trench coat that swayed lightly in the breeze.


    It spoke, or at least the boy thought it did, but he couldn''t make out the words. The sound of its voice made him shudder, the inhuman noise eliciting a deep unknown fear inside the child. It sounded like thousands of voices speaking at once, garbled in a way that made him think of drowning.


    Through it all he could discern only a few words¡­


    Sink¡­


    Sink¡­


    Into the Nowhere¡­


    Sink¡­


    Sink¡­


    Time to sleep¡­


    With those haunting words, the boy woke with a start. Gasping for air like he hasn''t taken a breath in minutes. He felt cold and clammy, sick, with sweat clinging to his skin. What was that?


    It was just a dream Harry, he told himself, just a dream. But he didn''t believe it. He ached all over, his shoulder was out of place, and his hands¡­


    Looking at his hands, even if he couldn''t see them in the darkness of his cupboard, he could feel them, the burns he received from the rope as he clung to it for dear life. If it was all just a dream, how did he have these injuries?


    Which world was real? Which one was fake? Was he dreaming right now? Or was he awake? Harry didn''t know, and that scared him more than anything.


    Since then he avoided sleep as best he could, sometimes for days on end. Eventually, he could no longer resist the siren''s call, and would drift off to another nightmare.


    Sometimes it was a forest, twisted and overgrown, ancient and young, filled with abominations, plant and animal alike, that sought to devour him.


    Other times it was a cave, cold and empty, dark and damp, with only the occasional torch to light his path. Shadows danced in the flickering flame with delight, following him wherever he went, stalking him through the endless gloom.


    But the worst was the cities, crawling (sometimes literally) with things that appeared human at first, but would quickly shed their guise of humanity at the earliest opportune moment, revealing the monstrosity that hungers beneath, one that devours anything smaller than themselves.


    Something that Harry absolutely was.


    There was something else about all these locations. One thing that appeared no matter where he went, or how far he traversed, it was always there. A figure, in a hat and trench coat, with a stretched gray face. The same one from that castle.


    Was it stalking him? Did it want something from him? It never tried to do anything to him, it only ever tried to speak. Garbled and gravely, like a bloated, drowned corpse come back to life. His presence did not comfort him, not in the least. If anything, it made him even more frightened to sleep.


    How much longer could he persist? Was it even worth the effort? The more exhausted he became, the more mistakes he made around the house. The more mistakes he made, the worse the punishment would be.


    After his last foray into the dream, he informed his relatives, the Dursleys, about his injuries. He tried to explain where he had received them, only to be met with scorn and vitriol. Freakishness they called it.


    They didn''t believe him, and instead of helping him with his maladies, they inflamed them. More chores, and even less food. They seemed to take sick, perverse pleasure at his pain. It reminded him of some of the monsters from his nightmares.


    What had he done to deserve this? Harry had heard of Karma before, but he couldn''t think of anything he had done to warrant such treatment. Was it a past life thing? Was he being punished for something a previous version of himself had done, something he could not recall?


    Slowly but surely, his will to resist crumbled. His mind began to still. Sleep was imminent. Eyes closed, Harry Potter drifted off into another dream, one that would take years to wake from.

 Choices

    Harry opened his eyes with a tired groan, blinking away the fog that obscured his vision. Or at least, that''s what he attempted to do. The fog refused to dissipate, his vision refused to clear. He could see very little.


    But fog wasn''t the only disruption to his senses. He could feel the wind blasting against his face, like a dog sticking its head out of the window. It wasn''t uncomfortable, but it wasn''t exactly pleasant either, as the air had a bite to it.


    Shivering slightly, he heard a noise, muffled, but gaining volume. It sounded like an engine, and not one from those quiet little hybrids his uncle complained about. Poof cars he called them. Harry had no idea what he meant by that, but it likely wasn''t anything good.


    The noise was coming from his left, so he dared to take a peek. There was a man, dressed in a worn leather jacket, with hair nearly as black as his own blowing violently behind him. His pants were similarly tattered, well worn in a way that bespoke the years he must have had them.


    He didn''t know who this man was, and yet he did. He can''t recall meeting him before, but he recognized him all the same. It was a strange feeling, like trying to remember a word that was on the tip of your tongue, but for the life of you, evades recollection.


    Perhaps if he was less exhausted, he could have put a name to the face, but alas, he could not. Maybe it wasn''t important, or maybe it was more important than anything else. Either way, there wasn''t much he could do at the moment.


    But at least he discovered the sound of the noise. It was a motorcycle, loud and proud, the kind his aunt detests, racing through this endless fog. Harry always thought they were cool, a fleeting memory always caused a warm feeling to emerge whenever he heard one. But the memory never stayed long, and over time, faded into something less than a memory, an echo.


    The man on the motorcycle never turned to look at him, never acknowledged his presence, almost like he wasn''t even there. That did beg the question, where was he? The last thing he remembered was laying down on his cold, hard mattress, closing his eyes, and¡­


    He fell asleep, didn''t he? The one thing he didn''t want to do, the one thing that caused him more fear than his relatives. Or maybe he was kidnapped, wouldn''t that be a pleasant surprise?


    Gazing at his surroundings once more, he still couldn''t make out much, the fog not having lifted much, if at all. But something was odd about the whole thing, something he didn''t feel right. And he wasn''t talking about the possibility of being held for ransom. The thought of the Dursley''s paying to get him back caused a dry laugh to emerge from his throat. After all, they were far more likely to pay for someone to take him away.


    No, that wasn''t it. It was something physical, visceral, that he couldn''t feel. He just couldn''t quite figure it out. It was something he felt every time he got in the car, but what was it?


    Oh! The road! That was it, he couldn''t feel the road. Gazing over the edge of the side card he was in, he could make out twinkling lights below him. City lights, if he had to guess. At least, that''s what it looked like. It''s not like he''s ever flown before, so he didn''t know from experience. It was more like an educated guess.


    But if that was the case, he could safely rule out a kidnapping. No, unfortunately, it was most likely a dream. Motorcycles don''t fly after all, now do they? No, it was a dream, but so far, it wasn''t a bad one, like the ones he''s been having lately. It was actually soothing, being so high in the sky. If he lived, maybe he should think about being a pilot.


    Resting his head on the cold steel of the sidecar, he watched as the world passed him by below. Slowly, his eyes drooped shut. Even in his dreams, he was tired. It didn''t take long, and he was asleep once more, never noticing the driver finally turn to look at him.


    If he had, he would have recognized him quite easily.


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    A sharp bump roused Harry from his slumber. He once again tried blinking away the fog, but it was even less effective than last time. The fog surrounding him was even thicker than before. He couldn''t even see his hand in front of his face. Which wouldn''t surprise him normally, as he wasn''t wearing his glasses, and without those, he could see about as well as a bat at noon.


    Though, come to think of it, he never wore his glasses while dreaming. They were ugly and uncomfortable things, with the prescription being too weak. He could see with them, but only just. So it didn''t surprise him that he would dream he could see clearly without them. But with how real these dreams of his were, shouldn''t he need them? Or was there something else at play here?


    More importantly, he could feel the road now, something he couldn''t do last time. This was also the first time he woke up having the same dream. That brought another thought forward, what happens if you fall asleep in your own dream? Do you wake up, or just dream of something different?


    Or were you like Harry, and stayed in the same dream? Was he unique in this regard? Another reason he was a freak, according to his uncle? A second bump broke him from his thoughts.


    Gazing up at the driver once more, Harry wasn''t shocked that he couldn''t see him. But was he¡­ bigger than last time? The silhouette certainly seemed larger. Almost the same size as his uncle. Now that would be a real nightmare.


    He tried looking over the edge again, and was surprised that he could still see the twinkling lights. But there was something different about them. He couldn''t quite make them out through the dense mist, but something about them made him shiver. Some primal force telling him that something wasn''t right.


    His gut, as small and emaciated as it was, was usually correct about these things, so Harry learned to listen to it. Except when it was hungry, there was nothing he could do about that, and the constant complaining did nothing to help.


    He tore his gaze away from the lights below, which was strange, now that he thought about it. After all, weren''t they on the road now, so how could he still see them? Perhaps it was just a dream thing and should be left well enough alone.


    For now, it seems the only thing he can do is wait. This was still a more pleasant dream than the ones before it, even with the sense of wrongness now emanating from the ever deepening fog. Everything now depended on where he ended up.


    Hopefully somewhere sunny and warm, with lots of food. Wouldn''t that be nice? Harry knew he wasn''t so lucky, but a boy can dream can''t he?


    And no, the irony of that thought wasn''t lost on the currently dreaming boy.


    Time slowly ticked by as nothing seemed to happen. It''s true what they say, time moves slower when you''re bored out of your mind. Add whatever rules governed dreams, and you lose all sense of when you are or when you''ll be.


    Which was both a relief and a worry. Like watching a horror movie. You know something bad is going to happen, you just don''t know when.


    And something did indeed happen eventually. They slowed down. It was abrupt and jarring. One minute they''re flying down the road, literally, and the next they''re matching a tortoise. And the road became even bumpier, like they turned down a gravel road.


    After several minutes of this, they finally stopped. Harry wasn''t sure if he should be relieved they made it to wherever they were going, or terrified. So he settled for a healthy mixture of both. A happy medium if you will.


    Something else was happening as well. The fog was clearing. Only now did he wonder how the other person managed to drive through it. Did the fog not exist for him? Or was it just another dream thing that didn''t need to be explained? Harry was getting sick of those.


    As the fog lifted and the area became clear, Harry could make out where he was. He was in a field of some kind, and all around him were hot air balloons. It was a weird place to bring him, hours and hours of driving, only to end up here. Why? What was the reason?


    Turning to face the man, Harry was startled to see someone completely different. Someone that was even more familiar to him, someone he''d seen recently, someone who had been following for a long time now.


    The Ferryman.


    It was a name that came to Harry during one of their encounters. A name that held no particular meaning to the young boy, but one he used all the same. He never saw the creature ferry anyone or anything, and yet¡­


    The Ferryman. That was his name, Harry was sure of it.


    The melted man sat upon the bike, looking far too large for it, and far too small at the same time. Kind of like his hat. His face wriggled, like water was trying to escape its fleshy prison. His eyeless eyes stared at him, filled with both longing and disgust. How he could tell was a mystery, one he wasn''t keen to unravel.


    Harry flung himself from the side car, flopping painfully onto the ground, crawling away from the thing in a panic. There was no more happy medium, the scales having tipped in one direction. He ignored the stinging scrapes he received from the ground, desperate to get away from the thing that haunted his every dream.


    He made it to one of the hot air balloons and hid behind it, trying to get his breathing under control. It was proving more difficult than it should, his near hysterics making it a nearly impossible task.


    Why was he here? What did he want? It wasn''t the first time he had those thoughts, in fact, he had them every time he saw the creature. But he never received any answers. None that weren''t said in a riddle at any rate.


    Footsteps could be heard approaching, loud and thundering, wet splashes echoing with every step. What was making that particular noise? The ground wasn''t wet, there were no puddles, so where was the splashing coming from?


    A few short moments later, the footsteps stopped. It made sense, the creature was rather large, and Harry hadn''t made it very far. Perhaps he could have made it further, but his lungs couldn''t take the pressure. It felt like he had run a marathon just making it as far as he did.


    Was he in that bad of shape? He could easily outrun his cousin and his friends when they hunted him through the neighborhood. If he didn''t, if they caught him, he would be used as their personal punching bag, something he knew from first hand experience.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    He knew he wasn''t the healthiest person. Normal people weren''t skin and bones like he was, starved like a beaten dog. The more weight he lost, the harder it was to do anything, but even so, he never got this out of breath. No, this was something else. The question is, what?


    Was it the world itself, this nightmare land, or was it the thing that stalked him through said lands, The Ferryman? Whatever the reason was, it didn''t matter. He was exhausted, out of breath, and terrified. That was reality. That was the situation.


    Harry turned to look around the balloon, trying to spot his hunter, but saw nothing. Just an endless fog, twinkling starlight, and the motorcycle that brought him here. Perhaps he should have felt relief that he couldn''t see The Ferryman, and part of him in fact did, as the creature was creepy and terrifying in a way he didn''t understand. But the other part, the rational part, was more afraid that he didn''t know where he was.


    He heard him approach, heard the footsteps get closer and closer, sounding like a t-rex, only to find said monster missing. Where did he go? And how did he go? Harry didn''t hear him leave, or were the footsteps something else entirely? Was there something else stalking him through the fog?


    He really hoped that wasn''t the case. One monster was more than enough. Two would just be overkill.


    Turning around, Harry''s breath froze in his chest, a scream trapped in his throat. In front of him, standing completely still, was the very monster he had been looking for. It was like a bad horror movie, and he fell for it.


    Harry tried to make a noise, tried to move, but he could do neither. He could only stare at the thing, as it stared right back. What was that old saying?


    If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares into you?


    Something like that. Harry felt the description apt for what he was looking at, and what was looking back at him. The abyss. There was no other way to put it.


    After a few tense moments, at least to Harry, of nothing happening, the Ferryman opened his mouth. The movement should have been normal, but it was anything but. It was only a single movement, yet it seemed like thousands. It was disorienting to watch, and more disorienting to hear.


    "Choose."


    That was the only thing it said, the entire reason it had to move its face a thousand times at once. It''s voice was just like that as well, a thousand in one, rough and deep. The voice was so distracting, Harry didn''t hear what he said.


    "W-what?"


    That was all he managed to stammer out. He cursed the fear in his voice, but there was little he could do about it. The fear was etched into his very being by this creature''s mere presence. He could no more turn it off than he could turn off the sun.


    "Choose the dream¡­ Plunge yourself into the deep¡­ Or stay awake and sleep¡­"


    What did that mean? Stay awake and sleep? How did that work? What did he want him to choose exactly?


    Looking around him, at the field and the numerous hot air balloons, he wondered if that''s what he meant. Was he supposed to ride one of them? Only one way to find out.


    "You want me to pick one of these hot air balloons?"


    Harry was proud of himself for not stuttering that time. Perhaps it was the confusion of the situation, or maybe it was because The Ferryman had done nothing to him.


    The creature nodded his head, or at least that''s what it looked like to Harry. Everything The Ferryman does, and everything about where he was, was a contradiction. It made perfect sense, and no sense at all.


    "Unknown paths¡­ Take flight to swim¡­ And dream again¡­"


    Harry almost groaned at the vague answer. The only reason he didn''t is that he wasn''t sure how the monster would take it. At this point, Harry was sure it was doing it on purpose just to mess with him.


    Seriously, how hard would it be to just tell him straight out? "Yes Mr. Potter, I would like you to choose one of my fabulous balloons and go on a grand adventure!" Was that too much to ask?


    Apparently it was.


    Let''s see¡­ Unknown paths means that he hasn''t been there before, or that no one has. At the very least, it was different. Take flight to swim again? Well, flying and swimming are similar, yet opposite. High and low maybe?


    We''ll come back to that one.


    The last part, dream again¡­ Those horrible dreams he''s been having, he means to send him there. To another dream, another nightmare. Why would he choose that?


    "Can''t I just go home?"


    The Ferryman tilted his head in confusion, but its voice was more amused than anything. Like it knew something that Harry didn''t. Something about Harry himself that Harry hadn''t realized.


    "You wish to return to the known?"


    That brought Harry up short. Return to the known? Did he mean the Dursley''s? That was the place he called home, he supposed, even if it was anything but. It was a house he lived in, but it wasn''t really a home. At least, not to Harry.


    Did that make him homeless? Not technically, he supposed, but not as far off as he would like. The real question was, did he want to return there?


    If he did, what would happen? Well, he knew that. He would be tossed in his cupboard, starved, beaten, and worked like a dog. Actually, the dog would have it better. The Dursley''s seemed to like Aunt Marge''s mutts more than him. She called them purebred, but Harry had his doubts.


    That was the known. Did he want to return to that?


    No¡­ No he didn''t. But that didn''t mean he wanted to go wherever these balloons would take him either. He remembered the places he went to, the horrors that awaited him in those places.


    The Leecher¡­


    Giant man-eating plants¡­


    All the things that looked human but weren''t¡­


    Was that somewhere he wanted to go? Not really, but was it better than the Dursley''s? He knew what awaited him back home, pain and death, with no escape. But what about the unknown? What awaited him there?


    He didn''t know, and that was the point. Oh he could make a guess, that it wouldn''t be pretty, but at the same time, he would be free. Free from his cupboard under the stairs, that was too hot and too cold. Free from the endless chores that he could never do right and was constantly punished for.


    Free from the Dursleys, who never wanted him anyway. Even if the place he went to killed him, at least he would be free. It was a nice thought, a nice dream. But that was the problem, this was only a dream, and all dreams have to end eventually.


    "No, I don''t want to go back, but what choice do I have? I''ll wake up soon enough."


    "No place to return¡­ Nowhere to go¡­ Wake up to dream¡­"


    There he goes again, mysterious and vague. But Harry seemed to understand. This was more than a dream, which he suspected for a while. He could still remember all the injuries he woke up with after dreaming about them. He just thought it was more of his freakishness that his uncle complained about. But what if it wasn''t? Could this be his chance? His chance to escape that horrible place? It was almost too good to be true.


    "So, if I get on one of these balloons, I''ll be free? But where do they go?"


    The creature smiled, and if Harry wasn''t so distracted by the balloons and his new sense of freedom, he might have seen it. He might have realized he had fallen into a trap.


    The stars above twinkled madly, and a new light shone down on the clearing he was in, illuminating each and every hot air balloon in sight. And many that weren''t. It was almost endless, the choices he had.


    "Freedom in a cage¡­ An endless ocean¡­ Deep and narrow¡­"


    That gave Harry pause for a moment. Freedom in a cage? What does that mean? It didn''t sound like freedom. Or maybe it meant that he couldn''t go back, he would be in that world forever.


    His thoughts were all jumbled and foggy. Kind of like the fog that littered his surroundings. Or at least, it used to. The world around him seemed clear, with nothing obscuring his sight.


    Where did it go? Did it disappear when he decided he wanted to stay? He couldn''t think, every thought coming and going, never staying very long. Not long enough to ponder too deeply anyway.


    Whatever, it didn''t matter. All that mattered now was moving forward. Away from the Dursley''s, away from the known. It was time to embrace something new. Something unknown. As if to agree, the stars above shone even brighter.


    Gazing out at the field, he took notice of his choices. Too many to see properly, but he had a feeling. Something tugging him in a certain direction. And Harry always followed his gut.


    He walked past clown shaped balloons, which made him shiver, dragon shaped balloons, which made him wonder, and even a toilet shaped one. That one just confused him. There was every kind of balloon you could imagine, and a fair few you couldn''t. Shapes and images from the mind of something that wasn''t human.


    Something like The Ferryman, who hounded him even now. But even though he was always right behind Harry, he never made a sound. It was like he was a ghost, haunting Harry''s every step.


    He did his best to ignore that thought, and continued to follow his gut. And the further they went, the more excited the world felt. Like he was going deeper and deeper into a playground made just for him, and the maker was watching him play.


    He did his best to ignore that thought too.


    As he passed more and more balloons, the lights went out one by one, leaving a dark abyss behind him. Every balloon ignored was another light gone. It wouldn''t be long before every light was extinguished. Harry only hoped he found what he was looking for before that happened.


    While he was particularly afraid of the dark, that didn''t mean he wanted to be trapped in it. Especially not with The Ferryman behind him.


    After what seemed like hours of walking, he finally stopped. In front of him was a giant, yellow balloon. It was extraordinarily plain compared to many of the ones he passed, looking like someone made it out of a raincoat, and yet it called to him. Like the sirens calling to Odysseus.


    The world around him seemed to shudder in excitement. The lights were all out at this point, leaving only the yellow hot air balloon illuminated. One lonely patch of color in an otherwise bleak and shadowy world.


    Maybe that''s why it called to him.


    Even The Ferryman seemed to smile at his choice. Maybe¡­ It was hard to tell with his elongated, melted face. But the upturned corners seemed to suggest such a thing at any rate. It wasn''t particularly nice to look at, but he seemed thrilled all the same.


    Was there something special about the balloon he chose? Just where would this thing take him that had The Ferryman so excited? Harry doubted it would be anywhere good. His wish for a beach in the tropics was unlikely to be granted. If only The Ferryman was a genie.


    "The choice has been made¡­ The path has been set¡­ Now it is time¡­ Sink into the deep¡­ Wake up to the new dream¡­ Let fear be your guide¡­"


    Harry didn''t have time to ponder the thing''s words, as he was picked up by said thing and placed into his chosen vessel. That was an experience Harry never wanted to repeat. His hands were cold and wet, slimy, slippery, leathery, and all manner of things unpleasant rolled into one. His flesh constantly shifted like the tide. A feeling that was uncomfortable to say the least.


    Harry would be just fine if that never happened again. It was even worse than being picked up by The Leecher, and that thing nearly popped him like a pimple.


    The Ferryman began to untangle the ropes tethering the balloon to the ground. Slowly, Harry began to ascend, inch by inch and foot by foot, he climbed higher and higher into the unknown.


    Looking down, he could still see the twinkling stars, through the transparent floor, winking goodbye at him. Only, they weren''t stars. Without the fog obscuring them, he could see them for what they really were.


    Eyes.


    Millions of eyes, all staring at him. They were above him as well, watching eagerly as he flew away. Just what were those things? What had he agreed to? It wasn''t like there was a contract, there was no fine print to be read. A verbal agreement, one that he didn''t understand, but agreed to all the same.


    He closed his eyes, not wanting to look at the things so eager to look at him. He''d stared into the abyss long enough for one day, though it seemed like the abyss wasn''t done with him just yet. Even with his eyes shut tight, he could feel their gaze on him. The hairs on the back of his neck couldn''t stand any straighter if they wanted to.


    Had he made a mistake? It was true he didn''t want to return to the Dursley''s, but was this any better? It was too late now. He made his bed and it was time to lie in it. Regrets could come later, if he had the time.


    On the bright side, no more Harry hunting, no more cupboard, no more chores, and no more Dursley''s. He may come to regret his choice, he may have made a poor decision in haste, but at least he could take some measure of comfort in that silver lining.


    It was all he had to cling to.


    Daring to open his eyes, Harry found himself quite high up at this point. So high The Ferryman looked like an ant, but he could still hear him clearly, as if he was right next to him.


    "Sink¡­ Sink¡­ Into the deep¡­ Sleep¡­ Sleep¡­ Into the Nowhere¡­"


    With that being said, Harry''s eyes began to droop once more. How many times would he fall asleep in his own dream? Hopefully this would be the last.


    The fog was back, and thicker than ever, occurring all but the path forward. Harry looked through bleary eyes at where he was being taken. Straight toward a blinking eye, bigger than the rest.


    Though he felt panicked at the thought of heading straight for a massive eyeball, he could do nothing about the tiredness of his own eyes. As much as he tried to keep them open, he couldn''t. Eventually, they closed once more, and sleep claimed him once again.


    The Ferryman below watched as the boy drifted further and further away, satisfied that his job was complete. Strange, that the boy would choose that particular vessel, drawn to it by a force neither he nor the world around him understood.


    He would watch that one very closely. Oh yes, very closely. He let out a deep laugh, as he left the area, ready to ferry another soul into the Nowhere. His job was never complete.

 In The Sky I Dream

    Harry found himself in another strange place. At this point it was par for the course. Fall asleep, end up somewhere unexpected and unpleasant. The only real question at this point was how bad would it be?


    Sometimes, it was fine, nothing happening, nothing too strange or alien. Nothing made much sense, of course, nothing in this world ever did. But it didn''t make him question his own sanity.


    And other times¡­


    Well, let''s just say, he was looking at weird in the rear-view mirror. Why butterflies needed necks like a giraffe he still didn''t understand.


    But at this moment, it was a bit more of the former. He was in some kind of garden, with beautiful roses and bushes, all trimmed up neatly. Trees full of fruit swaying in the gentle breeze, bringing with it a sweet scent. A fountain sprayed crystal clear water high into the sky, creating a rainbow, as the sun shone brightly overhead, filling him with warmth.


    It was, by far, the nicest place he had ever woke up in. That fact alone should have put him on edge. But instead, he dropped his guard, and loosened his usually tight grip on his paranoia.


    He gingerly walked further into the mystical garden, enjoying the feel of the lush, green grass between his toes. It was even better than the Dursley''s freshly mowed lawn. Of course, Harry was the one who mowed it, with an old fashioned push mower. Perhaps that colored the experience the wrong way.


    Above him, soaring in the blue sky, birds of red and green frolicked and sang an enchanting melody. They seemed to play a game of tag, chasing each other merrily. Harry couldn''t help but marvel at the sight. He was always jealous of birds and their freedom, but at this moment, he was only happy for them.


    As he continued on through the garden, a sad sound echoed through the area. Like someone crying. Curious, he followed, taking a winding path, with smooth rocks spaced evenly on the ground to guide him.


    After a few moments, he came to an open area, with even more beautiful flora, and brilliantly shaped bushes. They looked exactly like children, raising their hands to the sky.


    They looked exactly like children¡­


    Alarm bells rang in his head at the observation. He''d been to enough places in this world to realize things aren''t always what they seemed. Or in this case, they may be exactly what they seemed.


    Before he could ruminate on that thought, a breeze swept through the clearing, carrying with it the sweet scent of flowering fruit. And just like that, his worries were forgotten. There was no reason to be so paranoid, they were just bushes after all. Bushes that someone took an awful lot of time to shape. He should just appreciate the artwork.


    So he did, approaching them, with a smile. They really were lovely. But then, a sob, quiet but carried by the wind, drew his attention away. That''s right, he was following a noise. Someone was upset and crying.


    Harry always had a need to help people, probably in the vain hope that by doing so, someone would eventually come around to help him as well. But no one ever did. He was left alone, to suffer quietly in the dark of his cupboard.


    Looking around for the source, a path seemed to open of its own accord. Or was it there the whole time? And did the flowers look a bit droopy? Rubbing his eyes and looking once more, the wilting flowers he thought he saw were now vibrant and full again.


    Must have just been his imagination¡­


    He followed this new path that led him to a new area. There were less plants and foliage, and it seemed to form a half circle around a rocky outlook. Near the edge of a cliff, was a pure white bench, made of intricately carved wood.


    But it was what sat on the bench that drew most of his attention. It was a girl, with silvery white hair done up in a ponytail. That was all he could really see from this angle, the back of the bench blocking most of her from view.


    She was the sound of the crying he heard. On the ground behind her was a doll, torn up and broken. It''s body in several different pieces. A brown coat, smudged with dirt, covered its body, with a long red scarf coiled around it like a snake. A blue trapper hat lay nearby, revealing the doll''s messy hair.


    Hair that looked like it came from several different people. The color was different in several places, and the length was all off. Patches of short hair, next to long hair, black hair next to brown. It was like a child superglued a bunch of different hair onto it.


    Perhaps that''s exactly what happened. The crying girl on the bench spent a bunch of time making this thing, only for it to break. Now she was wallowing in misery, all alone in a beautiful garden. It was rather sad, Harry had to admit. Maybe he could cheer her up? That was what people did, right? Try to make sad people feel better? No one''s ever done it for him before, and he''s never done it for anyone either, but there was a first time for everything, right?


    Walking closer, slowly, as to not startle the girl, he gazed down at the doll once more as he was passing, and stopped cold. It looked very real, very lifelike. Its skin was tan, or at least, part of it was. Like its hair, its skin seemed patched together, stitches clearly seen holding different shades of flesh together, like a tiny Frankenstein monster.


    Was¡­ was it made out of people? Other kids like him? Dull, lifeless eyes stared back at him, warning him of the truth. Suddenly, the sweet, fruity smell that lingered in the air turned rotten, like the fruit had spoiled months ago. Looking behind him, at the path he came from, his eyes widened in horror.


    Where once there was vibrant, luscious plants and flowers, there now was wilted and oozing things that only vaguely resembled what they once were. Above him, the happy chirping turned into violent caws, as the colorful birds became twisted, three eyed pigeon-like things. Feathers, once smooth and vibrant, become dull and weathered, thin and twisted. Harry was surprised they could fly at all. The once clear sky filled with dark, gray clouds, and a chill seeped into his bones.


    Everything was wrong. This whole place was a trap, designed to lure you in with a false beauty it was only pretending to be. It reminded Harry of carnivorous plants, like the Venus Fly Trap, or a Pitcher Plant. They offered their prey something sweet, only to reveal the truth when it was too late. Everything they offered was fake.


    The cake was indeed a lie.


    He needed to leave. There was nothing for him here but death and despair. He took a step back and to his horror, stepped on a twig. With a snap that sounded like a gunshot, the world around him seemed to deafen. The birds stopped cawing, the wind stopped blowing, and the girl stopped crying.


    Where had that come from? It wasn''t there a second ago, Harry was sure of it. Was the world itself conspiring against him? It definitely seemed like it, but there was nothing he could do about it, not now at least.


    The girl slowly stood up, and turned to face whatever had made the noise. In this case, it was Harry. The two stared at each other for a moment, one that seemed to last a lifetime. He couldn''t see her eyes, as they were covered by her bangs, but he knew she was glaring at him. Her lipstick smeared lips drawn back in a snarl.


    At least now he could see what she was wearing. It was a posh green dress, one fit for nobility. If his life wasn''t in imminent danger, he may have complimented her on her choice of color. It matched his eyes after all.


    Then she shrieked, a loud, banshee-like sound. It reverberated all around him, and shook the plants behind him. Harry gripped his ears in pain, trying to ward off the vibration causing his brain to rattle.


    It was no use. The pain built and built, ending in a crescendo of torment. And then, it stopped. Daring to look up, he could see a faint glow emanating from where her eyes should be. That probably wasn''t a good sign.


    Then she stared toward him, slow and steady. Harry knew it was now or never, he had to flee. Had to get away from this thing pretending to be a little girl. This Pretender.


    Turning around to run the way he came, the path was gone. Like the trees and bushes moved to seal off his retreat. But that wouldn''t stop him. If there was no path forward, he would just have to make one.


    Charging ahead with reckless abandon, he gave a yell as he jumped into the thorny brambles. Scratches covered his skin, and the oozing pus from the plants burned his skin. He was hoping it was just tree sap, but he was wrong. Very wrong. It felt more like acid.


    Who grew plants like these? And why? Why would you want plants that leaked acid? Like usual, this world made no sense. No point in questioning it. Not like he would receive and answer anyway.


    No, it was best to just keep running and not expend energy on pointless things. He needed to get away from that thing chasing him. Daring to look behind him as he reached a thin spot in the shrubbery, Harry''s heart nearly stopped.


    She was close, closer than he would like at any rate. But that wasn''t what made him give pause. No, that was reserved for the fact that the garden seemed to part for her, allowing her to give chase unimpeded.


    How was that fair? Here he was, gasping for breath, painful stings littering his emaciated body, sticky pus burning him, and she had the nerve to appear like she was going for a casual stroll. It was infuriating. He wanted to punch her in her smug face, but he felt like that would be a bad idea.


    It explained why she wasn''t running, or exerting herself in any way. There was no point. The world loved her and made her life easy. Harry hated spoiled brats like her, like Dudley.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    With a renewed anger, Harry sprinted away once more. He wouldn''t make it easy for her, not in this life or any other. If she wanted to turn him into one of those doll things, she would have to put in some effort. His death would not be an easy ride.


    By some miracle, Harry found himself in a familiar area. There was the fountain again, only this time, it looked a bit different. The plaster that covered it was chipped, and the water it sprayed was filthy and green. Wriggling things churned the water''s surface, and Harry wasn''t particularly keen to find out what they were.


    Probably more of those leeches. They seemed to be everywhere. Did they all come from that castle? Not important right now. Escape first, ponder world later.


    Above him, the once playful birds playing tag stared at him with hunger. Did pigeons eat meat? He hoped not, because there were a lot of them. Unfortunately, for once, his question about the world would be answered. Too bad it wasn''t the one he wanted to hear.


    Turns out, they were still playing tag, and they were it. With an eager cry, they dived at him, pecking him wherever they could. Harry covered his face, trying to keep them from his eyes. There were so many he could no longer see in front of him, the light no longer reached him.


    He was trapped by a horde of pigeon monsters. That wasn''t the way Harry wanted to go. Not at all. He needed to do something, but what could he do?


    Then a memory flashed before his eyes. It was one of those times he couldn''t escape Dudley and his goons. They chased him into an alley and cornered him. The punches and kicks rained down on him ceaselessly. He felt like he was going to die.


    And then, it stopped. The punches, the kicks, the name calling. Everything just¡­ stopped. Harry couldn''t figure out why. Dudley blamed him of course, tattled right to his parents. Said he used some weird power to send them all flying.


    Harry didn''t remember doing such a thing, but was punished all the same. Not that Dudley or his pals suffered any consequences, even though they were beating him within an inch of his life. He had the bruises to prove it too. No, instead they were taken to get pizza and ice cream.


    Guess neither world was fair. But the point is, he used some kind of power to topple giants. Maybe he could do the same thing here? It was worth a shot, he had nothing to lose at this point. He was already about to be eaten by pigeons after all.


    So he concentrated, focused on something inside him that he couldn''t see, smell, taste, touch, or hear. An already impossible task, given that he was being attacked, but he also had no idea what he was searching for.


    How do you describe color to a blind man? Describe sound to the deaf? That was the task he was giving himself, in a fit of desperation. Perhaps it was foolish, a gambit that was sure to fail, but then again, what if it wasn''t.


    After all, wasn''t he already in a different world? Wasn''t that impossible as well? People said the four minute mile was impossible, until someone did it. Now it was the standard. So what if it was impossible! That''s what dreaming was all about! And he was dreaming right now, wasn''t he?


    So what better time to make the impossible possible?


    Confidence restored, Harry renewed his concentration, reaching deep into his being. There was something there, in the depths, waiting to be unleashed. He just needed to find it. Sink deeper.


    "Sink¡­"


    "Sink¡­"


    "Into the deep¡­"


    That voice¡­ The Ferryman! What was he doing here? No, wait, he wasn''t here, it was all in his head. A memory. A faded echo.


    Sink into the deep¡­ Yes, that''s it. That''s all he needed. Just a little more. One more push. At this point, he couldn''t feel the birds pecking him. There was nothing left but Harry.


    A sound caught his attention, like a drop of water dripping into a pool. That was it! That was his power. In his mind''s eye, he saw a dark cavern, filled with clear water, illuminated by a soft blue light shimmering on the walls.


    So this was it. This was his power. Now that he knew where it was, there was only one thing left to do.


    Sink¡­ Into the deep¡­


    So that''s what he did. He fell into the water, letting it wash all over him, surround him, soak him to the bone. And that''s when he felt it, a surge of strength like he''d never known, coursing through his veins. But would it be enough?


    Only one way to find out.


    Opening his eyes, Harry gave a savage grin. The power was surrounding him, drawing everything in. The birds cawed and flapped their wings in a panic as they were sucked into the vortex of Harry''s power.


    The girl, The Pretender, struggled to not get pulled in herself. She growled, angry, that this little thing she was chasing had the nerve to fight back. And with such a strange ability as well. Was he like her, gifted by the great Eye?


    That doesn''t matter, he would pay dearly for his crimes.


    First, he saw her crying¡­


    Unforgivable.


    Then he ran from his just punishment¡­


    Irredeemable.


    And now, he has the nerve to fight back?


    Inconceivable!


    She was the boss around here. Everyone obeyed her, no exceptions! She was the only one worthy of worship, not some grubby little upstart! He would pay! She would make sure of it. She would make him disappear. Turn him into one of them. That would show him his place.


    Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden calmness. She righted herself, and stood upright once more, like a proper lady. She glared at the scene before her. Her precious avians, all stuck together like they were glued into a big ball of flailing feathers.


    Just what was the plan here? While they were no longer attacking him, he was still trapped. It was only a matter of time until his power ran out. And then, he was all hers. She licked her lips in anticipation, smearing the lipstick even more.


    But then, a sound caught her attention. It was a sort of buzzing. Quiet but high pitched, and getting louder by the second. What was it? Where was it coming from?


    Then it stopped. An eerie calm washed over the area. It didn''t last long, a few seconds at most. After that, pure chaos.


    A violent storm of power surged forth, erupted from the center of the mass of birds with a roar. The Pretender was knocked onto her back from the force of the magic, for what else could it be? Magic, just like hers, just like The Butler, and just like her idol, The Lady.


    It was a power he shouldn''t have. A power he didn''t deserve. It wasn''t fair! The Pretender threw a temper tantrum, petulant anger rising, as Harry''s ragged form was shown.


    He was hunched over, breathing heavily, and bleeding from the numerous wounds he suffered at the hands of those darn birds. He showed them! But boy was he tired, using that power really took it out of him.


    He saw the girl laying in the mud, flailing about angrily. Not unlike her pigeons. Her surroundings were in a state of destruction, trees uplifted, and birds splattered across them, in a visceral mess. It wasn''t a pretty sight, and yet Harry took pride in the part he played in creating it.


    His power was pretty amazing, even if he barely knew what he did. It was mostly instinctual. It felt like he was drawing in air and filling up a balloon. And when that balloon was full, it popped, releasing all the stored air.


    Yes, it was powerful, but exhausting. He could barely stand. Not to mention how long it took him to charge. Harry wasn''t keen on letting himself get attacked while he gathered the necessary energy. It was a useful ability, for sure, but one that required certain circumstances to be met.


    "Grah!"


    Harry jumped at the inhuman noise. The girl he knocked over was now standing, and she didn''t look happy. Not at all. Her clothes were a mess and so was her face. The makeup she caked on her face to look grown-up was smudged, making her look like a clown.


    It would be funny, if Harry''s life wasn''t in danger. And his life was very much in danger. He doubted she would be chasing him so lazily this time. It was just too bad he was so tired, but still, he wouldn''t sit around and wait. Nope, it was time to run again.


    Taking off in the opposite direction of his pursuer, he staggered as fast as he could. Which wasn''t much slower than before. Unlike last time, the world around him didn''t conspire against him. The trees and the bushes stayed right where they were. Which made running away much easier.


    But she was gaining, he could feel it. That encroaching anger. It was like a wildfire, consuming everything around it, and it desperately wanted to consume him.


    There had to be something he could do. He couldn''t use his power again, somehow being able to tell that he was "out". Like a battery, it would need to recharge before it could be used again.


    Well, at least there were no more bird attacks. The remaining avians seemed scared of him, unwilling to aid their mistress in his capture. Or maybe they were scared of her, and the fury he could feel radiating off of her. He knew he was.


    He desperately searched for another path, but his only way forward was straight. There was nowhere to hide, and the trees began thinning out, so climbing was out. He got the feeling that wouldn''t help anyway.


    No, all he could do was follow the path laid out before him, as loath as he was to do so. There was no other option. He only hoped it would lead somewhere better than this. Hard to believe not even twenty minutes ago, he was thrilled to be here, in this false garden. How quickly things change.


    The trees were gone now, and so were the flowers. He reached the end of the garden and found himself in what appeared to be a rocky ravine. There were even less places to hide now, not that he could before. And his hunter was so close, he could almost feel her breath on his neck.


    Following his only path, Harry eventually turned, but to his utter dismay, it led him to a dead end. There was a broken ladder that he had no hope of reaching, taunting him from above.


    This is it. Turning around, he saw her, standing there, fury radiating from her in a palpable mist. It was frightening indeed, that someone the same size as him could produce such an aura. Wrong, in fact.


    He did his nest, but it seems like that wasn''t good enough. Oh well, at least it looked like he gave her something to remember him by. He doubted she would forget him anytime soon.


    "Ragh!"


    The last thing he saw was her make up covered face, hiding the true ugliness underneath. Like a mask.


    Harry woke up with a start, nearly jumping to his feet, only to trip and fall. He groaned in slight pain, glad there was no one around to see that. Slowly, as to not embarrass himself again, he rose to his feet.


    He looked around in confusion. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was an angry girl about to tear out his insides. Was that a dream? If it was, it may have been the scariest one yet.


    But she was nowhere in sight, thankfully, so where was he? He was in a basket of some kind, made up of itchy wicker, and he was¡­ flying? That certainly seemed to be the case.


    He also didn''t seem to be injured, like his dreams would normally suggest. No scratches from the thorns, or cuts from the birds. Why was this one different? Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth, no reason to get bit after all.


    But how did he get here? His memory was hazy at best. One could say it was foggy.


    Wait¡­ fog? That sounded familiar. Yes¡­ it was coming back to him now. His recent dream almost made him forget. Forget about a fog covered clearing, the hot air balloon he chose, The Ferryman, and the eyes. He almost forgot about all of them.


    So he was in his hot air balloon then. That was pretty neat actually. He''d never been in one before. Jumping up, he grabbed ahold of the top of the basket, and hauled himself up. He wanted to get a look at the world.


    And what a view it was. The sun was shining, shimmering off the waves below him. It was warm too, driving off the cold from his most recent nightmare. Birds, seagulls this time, not mutated pigeons, flew around him almost lazily.


    It was beautiful. But Harry remembered his dream. That looked beautiful at first too. But that ended up being a trap, hiding a grotesque monstrosity beneath. He wouldn''t make that mistake again.


    Harry leaped back into the basket, looking around once more. There wasn''t much, besides a bit of rope. The same one used to tether it to the ground. He had no supplies.


    Hopefully, he reached land soon. As amazing as it is to see the ocean, he needed to eat. He was already starving from his time with the Dursleys, so he didn''t fancy his chances, trapped in a floating prison.


    A prison he didn''t know how to operate. What kind of shady business were they running here? Sending him off in a vehicle he couldn''t steer. Did he just have to hope the wind took mercy on him, take him to where he needed to go? That seems like a poor decision.


    Another one out of his control. He was getting sick of it. Fate was a fickle thing, and Harry didn''t like being bound to its whims. He needed to take his destiny into his own hands for once.


    Harry was completely ignoring the fact that his choice led him to be here in the first place. He wanted the unknown, and he got it.

 Moth to a Flame

    Six was not a morning person. To be fair, she wasn''t much of an evening person either. Not only did it take her forever to properly wake up, to wipe the grogginess from her mind, but she also had to leave the worry free environment that sleep brought. She wasn''t worried about death when she was asleep.


    Meanwhile, in the evening, as she drifted off the dreamland, she had to worry about something killing her in her sleep. It was a bit strange to think about, in reality. Worrying about something killing her in her sleep before she fell asleep, and not worrying at all when she was asleep.


    Truth is, she should worry at all times. But that became exhausting, fast. Sleep was her only reprieve from such a thing, as fleeting as it was, so she hated to leave it. But she knew she couldn''t remain asleep forever, not unless she was dead, and she had no intention of dying any time soon.


    So with a groan, she roused herself from her slumber, the light from the small window not allowing her to rest any longer. Standing up from the hidden bed she made herself, one cut from a teddy bear turned into a sleeping bag, she gazed listlessly at the room around her.


    Like almost everything in this mansion, it made little to no sense. Too tall, and too narrow, with the only entrance being a small hole. How they managed to get a bed, table, and a whole vanity inside was a mystery for another time.


    In the corner was a massive fan. Six may have plugged it in, if only to freshen the stale air in the room, but there was no plug outlet to be found. It was probably broken anyway. A burnt out light rested on the ceiling.


    It was a fairly secure room, made more so by Six barricading herself inside, using planks of rotten wood and a rather heavy chair. It was a bit difficult to move, but worth it for the added security. No need to risk someone sneaking in while she slept.


    Or something.


    The large Residents may not have been able to get in, but that didn''t mean she was safe. Far from it, in fact. The mansion she found herself trapped in had rather large rats after all. Nearly as big as herself, and twice as mean. More than one kid has fallen victim to those things, and she refused to be another.


    Other children could also prove to be problematic. This place had a way of bringing out the worst in someone. Their desperation for survival turning them into something violent.


    The only other things that could reach her in here, the Nomes, were also the only things she could trust. They were strange little things, with white cone heads and small, gray, shriveled bodies. Six was afraid of them at first, avoiding them whenever possible, but it turns out they were rather friendly.


    And helpful. They seemed almost eager to provide aid whenever they could. But they were just as skittish, and easily frightened. They wouldn''t help until you gained their trust, usually by hugging them, proving you meant them no harm.


    Six found herself fond of them over time. Seeing them scurry about, making quiet little noises, bodies moving in exaggerated ways, always brought a small smile to her face. It was about the only thing that did nowadays.


    So even if the room was hard to get to, she couldn''t let her guard down. Which is why she cocooned herself inside an old teddy bear. It wasn''t the best, or perhaps even the safest solution, but it worked well enough. It hid both her and her scent.


    But it was time to move on. She had been using this place as a base for a while now, but if she stayed any longer, she risked getting complacent. And complacency killed. She knew that for a fact.


    So she had to say goodbye to her little home. Perhaps she would return someday, if she was unlucky that is. She hoped to escape this hellish mansion, and she couldn''t linger in one place for too long if she wanted to realize that goal.


    So she would head to a lower area, one filled with far more danger than the rooms above. There were more pests for one, and the Residents of this house spent far more time down below.


    But it was a risk she needed to take. There was no other option if she wanted to escape. And she did, desperately. The things they did to children that got caught¡­ well it was best to not get caught.


    Because it wouldn''t be quick.


    She carefully moved the chair out of the way, wincing at the loud noise it made as she did so. But she had no choice but to drag it along. It was far too heavy to lift. It made for an excellent barrier to entry, but it was an annoyance all the same.


    Heaving the thing out of the way, she caught her breath for a moment, before setting herself to move the planks. But before she could, a loud noise grabbed her attention. The house shook from the violent impact of something.


    What was that? Did something crash into the mansion? How? It was nearly a mile above sea level. Was it a plane?


    Her curiosity peaked. Something slamming into this place was not an event that happened on the regular, so it was worth investigating. It was even possible there was a new means of escape, one not available until now. But she dared not get her hopes up. Hope was a dreadful thing, after all. More people had been broken by hope than by anything this place did to them.


    But still, no harm in taking a little peak. That wasn''t entirely true, she knew that. There could be great harm in it. But it was a risk she felt compelled to take. She had focused solely on survival for so long, that little else mattered to her, so perhaps that was the reason, the real one, she wanted to sate her curiosity. It was something other than merely surviving.


    There was a difference between simply being alive, and living after all, and Six had forgotten how to live. Something quite sad coming from an eight year old.


    Besides, it wasn''t too far from where she was at. It was a little detour, nothing more. Convinced by her own logic, she set out to find the source of that strange new sound.


    She never expected that by doing so, she would meet a lifelong companion and friend. One that would stick with her through the best of times and the worst of times. And there would be a lot of worst times ahead.


    ***Line Break***


    Harry opened his eyes, once more gazing at his surroundings in confusion, something that was becoming a pattern. One thing he noticed was that he was no longer flying.


    That was good. He had been skybound for about a day and was starting to worry. As much as he enjoyed being in the air, he needed food and water, something he couldn''t get trapped in a wicker basket.


    Getting to his feet, said basket shifted, forcing him to try and keep his balance. He couldn''t see much from where he was, the basket was too big, but he could definitely see he was in a building of some sort.


    A building he happened to crash into. You couldn''t blame him, he had no idea how to fly a hot air balloon, so a crash landing was all but inevitable. He only hoped the owner wouldn''t be too mad. He couldn''t afford to pay for damages.


    If this world even used currency. Part of him hoped it didn''t, having had to listen to his uncle complain about finances constantly, and blame him for the economic burden he placed on the family. If he needed money, it would just be one more thing to worry about.


    Wanting to see the rest of his surroundings, Harry made a leap to grab the top of the basket. He succeeded, which was good. However, the ropes holding the basket to the balloon weakened in the crash, so when he grabbed the side, they unraveled and snapped, causing the basket to collapse.


    Harry rolled out of the basket and landed with a grunt. Thankfully, it wasn''t a far drop, but it was still unpleasant. He was rather small after all. Rolling onto his back, Harry gazed up at his former vessel, dangling by the remaining ropes holding it together.


    Ropes that were also coming undone.


    With a yelp, he rolled out of the way, just as the basket hit the ground. "That was close," he thought, listening to the rapid beating of his heart. If he had been even a second slower, he would be trapped underneath. Once he calmed down, he maneuvered into a sitting position, finally able to take in his surroundings.


    The room itself was drab, without an ounce of color. Faded wallpaper peeled off the wall, dangling from weathered wood. Old blankets, or maybe sheets, filled with moth-eaten holes were piled in a corner. An old dresser, covered in filth and stains, sat near the wall.


    There wasn''t much else to be seen, other than broken bits of things littering the floor. Most likely from the crash. Bits of rope dangled down from the remaining ceiling, covered in muck and grime. There was one thing that Harry didn''t see, something he expected to see, something he thought was fairly important.


    A door.


    There was no way in or out of the room that he could see. He was lucky the crash opened up a wall and provided some light, otherwise he would be in the dark. But even so, he needed to find an escape of some kind.


    Looking about, trying to take in more details, ripping off wallpaper, and looking under the sheets, Harry finally noticed a crack in the wall behind the dresser. It looked like it was just big enough for him to crawl through. That was good, it means he could escape. But whether it led to somewhere better was yet to be seen. Only one way to find out.


    He first tried to move the dresser. It became apparent quite quickly that that wasn''t going to work. With a huff, he stepped back to think of a solution. If it was too heavy, he just needed to lighten it, right?


    It had three drawers, all scratched up with things scribbled on the side. A bird of some kind? With a round mouth and teeth? Weird, but not important.


    He needed to remove the top one first, but of course, he couldn''t reach it. But maybe, if he used the bottom ones as a step stool¡­ Yeah, that should work.


    He grabbed the bottom drawer, giving it a pull, but struggled to open it. It wasn''t that it was heavy, not really, it was that it was old and rough, making it hard to slide. It could really use a good sanding.


    Eventually his puny muscles won the day, and he managed to get it open enough to climb. Thankfully, it was empty and didn''t break as he did so, only gave an angry groan as it was stepped on.


    Then came the second drawer, which was much the same as the first. He opened it about halfway so he could use it as a foothold to remove the top drawer.


    He opened the last one about a quarter, and quickly realized he wouldn''t be able to remove it all from where he was standing. So, he climbed to the top of the dresser and used his legs to push it open. It was a bit awkward, and took him a minute to get the angle right, but he was eventually able to get it off.


    It hit the floor with a loud thump. He winced at the noise, but here was little he could do about it. In retrospect, he could have used the sheets to create a cushion, but hindsight was 20/20. He just had to move on. Hopefully, nothing heard that.


    ***Line Break***


    Six''s ears twitched as she heard a heavy thud reverberating through the vents she was in. Just what was going on up there?


    ***Line Break***


    He jumped down to the floor and moved the drawer out of the way, before sliding the bottom one off, and putting it to the side. Now he just needed to get the second one off, and he was home free. It was a bit difficult with the height, but he managed. The final drawer hit the ground with another, slightly less loud, thump.


    Whipping the sweat off his brow, he took a moment to catch his breath, shaking the tension out of his arms. Once he felt sufficiently recovered, he made to move the dresser itself.


    It was much lighter without the drawers attached, so he managed to move it out of the way with a bit of effort. But it was all worth it. The way out was in clear view. It was time to make his escape.


    Crawling through the opening, Harry came out the other side and gazed out at his new surroundings. It was a long room, cluttered like a hoarders paradise. A few dirty windows lined one side of the room, allowing for a bit of light to penetrate the gloom.


    Multiple metal shelves lined the other side of the room, filled to the brim with all manner of things. Broken toys, appliances, tools, stuffed animals, etc. There was too much to count.


    The center of the room was similarly filled with shelves and knick knacks that branched into two paths. One didn''t look much better than the other, except one side was closer to the light.


    He chose that side.


    Perhaps he could find something useful in here. New clothes perhaps? The oversized hand-me-down garments he received from his cousin really hindered his mobility. And they were just plain old embarrassing to wear.


    The only reason he had to wear them at all was that his "family" didn''t want to spend a few pounds to get him clothes that fit. It might not have been so bad, had his cousin not been the size of a baby whale. Even his baby clothes were big on Harry!


    So yes, new clothes would be very nice. Fingers crossed.


    As he walked further into the room, a couple of small creatures with white, cone-shaped heads scuttled away in fright.


    "What were those things?" Harry whispered to himself after a while. He stood there, waiting for an attack that never came. After a couple of tense minutes, he relaxed his posture, and let his guard down.


    Not completely. He just went from a 10 to an 8.


    Walking deeper into the messy room, Harry kept an eye out for anything that looked useful. Or anything that looked even half as hungry as him.


    So far, no such luck. Everything appeared broken, or useless. A diamond ring? Neat, but not at all helpful. A compass? Fantastic, spun in every direction. A filthy, ripped up teddy bear with black gunk coming out of the corner of its mouth? No thank you.


    No, so far everything was worthless, even the clothes. The ones that would fit him had been eaten by moths, much like the blankets in the other room. Did they have a moth problem here? It was starting to look that way.


    He also didn''t see an exit. What is with this place and its aversion to doors? Looking around for another hole in the wall, he didn''t see one. It would help if there was more light in the room, but the only source was those dirty windows. Harry spotted a few broken lightbulbs in the ceiling, their shattered remains creating a hazard on the floor, but that did little to help him.


    He could find some new ones, but even then, he had no way of placing them into the sockets. Maybe he could scavenge a flashlight, one that works. That would be nice. The world seemed to agree with him, as the room suddenly became darker.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Looking at the windows, it was clear a dark cloud was overhead, blocking the sun and filling the room with even more shadows. That''s great, just what he needed.


    Grumbling to himself, he continued his search, never noticing a movement coming from the ceiling.


    He was near the end of the room now, in a small open area with less clutter. It was still a mess, but it felt cleaner. He shivered thinking about how his aunt would react to a place like this. He knew she would make him clean it.


    But still, there was nothing there. A broken vanity on one side and a¡­ mannequin on the other. It was missing an arm and half the face was melted, drooping down like it was made of cheese. The dress it was wearing was filled with holes and covered in grime.


    But the worst part was the mask. It looked like it was made of real skin, and it was peeled, and torn, dangling from the parts that weren''t melted. Why would anybody want that thing? It was so creepy.


    Not his business. Better to let sleeping dogs lie. He had more important things to do anyway. Like finding a way out. That was sounding better and better as he made his way through this place.


    As he turned to walk away from the creepy thing, a glint caught his eye, barely visible through the dim lighting. There, in the mannequin''s hand, was a metal¡­ thing. It wasn''t very big, easy enough for Harry to carry if he wanted.


    But why would he? Something inside him told him to check it out, a compulsion that he couldn''t ignore. He grabbed it and pulled it out of the thing''s hand, half expecting it to come alive and eat him. It sure looked like it wanted to.


    Taking a closer look at the object in his hand, and scrubbing away the scum that covered it, the first thing he noticed was the shape. It was an eye, made out of a dull, bronze like material, covered in scratches. The second was the eye''s pupil, which looked like it was made out of an emerald. And lastly was the two, diamond shaped prongs sticking out on either side of the eye, about a quarter of an inch long.


    It was a creepy thing, like most of the things in here, and yet he still pocketed it. Maybe it would come in handy down the road, or maybe not. It was his now regardless.


    A noise caught his attention. It sounded like a can being kicked across the room, or falling from high up, and he suddenly had the feeling of being watched. Turning around, Harry tried to see what made that noise. It had to have been something. But the lack of light made things difficult.


    Turning his head right and left, focusing his eyes as best he could, he finally spotted something. A big clump of shadow stood out from the rest. He didn''t know what it was, but his gut was telling him it wasn''t anything friendly.


    Something on the clump''s back twitched, moving up and down. It almost looked like wings. Harry backed up slowly, glancing around for someplace to escape. But with all the clutter, he was basically trapped.


    As Harry backed away from the shadowy thing, it advanced as well. Slowly, its movements barely able to be seen. But no matter how much he backed up, it never got further away.


    Unfortunately for Harry, things would take a turn for the worst. As he was backing up, he failed to spot something on the ground. Something that caused him to trip. Falling on his back with a startled grunt, that seemed to be the signal the thing was waiting for.


    In the blink of an eye, it was airborne, ready to pounce on its next victim. Which just so happened to be Harry. This did allow him to see what it was, and he wished that he hadn''t. It was a moth, one even bigger than himself, with clawed tips on its legs, and a circular mouth filled with needle-like teeth. Its massive, pearl black eyes stared at him in hunger.


    It was like someone crossbred a moth with a lamprey, an abomination of nature.


    Harry managed to roll out of the way as the thing landed, releasing a hissing sound as it did so. It turned to face the young boy, a long, round, saliva coated tongue wriggled out of its mouth as it did so.


    Our hero backed away as much as he could, before he hit a shelf. He was trapped. The moth thing approached slowly, as if it was savoring the moment. That moment would cost it, as the sun chose that moment to reveal itself once more.


    Smoke sizzled off its form as it jumped away, flapping its wings to escape the light. Harry watched as it reached a corner where the light didn''t reach, turning back to stare at him balefully.


    It was stymied for now. It couldn''t leave its spot in fear of the sun. That gave Harry an opportunity to flee. The only question was, where to? He still didn''t know where the exit was, and now he had to search the room with a killer moth on the loose?


    That wasn''t fair. That wasn''t fair at all. He wished he knew who to complain to about the clearly rigged game. Maybe The Ferryman? Naw, best to leave that one alone.


    Standing up on shaky legs, Harry watched as the moth paced back and forth, like a caged beast, occasionally trying its luck against the light, only to flinch back with another hiss as it was burned.


    He wondered if it was responsible for the broken lights above. It seemed fairly likely that a thing that hated light, or the sun at the very least, would destroy them. Good for it, but it made Harry''s job even harder.


    He also realized that it was what was drawn onto the dresser from earlier. It occurred to Harry that maybe it was meant to be a warning.


    Looking at the angry creature, Harry noticed the thing he tripped on. It was a hatch, like the one you''d see in an attic, with a ladder folded into it. That explains why he couldn''t find another way out. That''s one problem solved, but it revealed a whole new one.


    It was locked. A thick, heavy padlock barred him from escape. Because of course it did. Things couldn''t ever be simple, could they?


    So now he needed a key, great. Well, as long as the sun continued to shine through the windows, he should be fine. But history would suggest his luck wasn''t nearly that good. He needed to move, and move fast. He didn''t see a key while searching on this side, so it had to be on the other.


    Plan now set and goal made clear, Harry ran back around the way he came. It was unfortunate that the second path was quite a bit darker than the other, since the junk in the middle blocked the light. Nothing he could do about it though, he would just have to hope for the best.


    He could still hear the moth hissing from its spot. That was a relief at any rate. As long as he could still hear its angry threats of violence, because Harry knew that''s what those sounds were, he was in the clear. He knew where it was. If it went quiet, Harry would be in trouble.


    More trouble.


    Searching as quickly and thoroughly as he dared, while also keeping an eye on the light and an ear on the monster, Harry was at the halfway point, when it suddenly grew darker. A triumphant screech rang out, as the sound of flapping hit his ears.


    Harry needed to hide, and fast. Frantically searching for something, anything to hide in, he eventually spotted a box filled with discarded fluff, the kind you put into stuffed animals.


    It would have to do. If he was found, he would have no chance of escape. Willing to take the risk, Harry dove into the softness of his hiding spot. And not a moment too soon.


    Flapping overhead, hungrily searching for its prey, passed the moth. Thankfully, it didn''t see him dive into the box. That was good, it means he wasn''t about to die this very second.


    The seconds afterward were a different matter.


    Harry waited with baited breath as the minutes ticked by. He could hear it in the distance, fluttering and hissing, searching for him. He watched for the sun to return from a small hole in the box, rotted out from water and time.


    After nearly twenty minutes, the sunlight bathed the room once more, forcing the beast to seek shelter. It sounded like it was on the opposite side of the room, which was good, as it gave him time to continue his search.


    Climbing out of the cardboard box, which caused it to tip over, taking Harry with it, he resumed his search. He still had nearly half the room to inspect, but he couldn''t risk going too fast. He had to find the key on the first go round.


    But no matter where he looked he couldn''t find it. Up, down, all around, there was nothing. He hoped it wasn''t stuffed in a random box somewhere, or even worse, in the moth''s stomach.


    His luck couldn''t be that bad, right?


    He was near the end of the second path when he finally spotted it. Nestled between a busted desk fan and a cat carrier, he could just make out its teeth sticking out over the edge.


    That was the good news. The bad news, it was on the top shelf. He would have to climb, and there was little chance of him being able to hide again if the sun went away.


    He also didn''t know if it was even the right key. It was just the first one he found. For all he knew, it could open a door in the basement. He wouldn''t put it past the world to screw with him like that.


    But what other choice did he have? Try to kill the moth? That seemed unlikely. And far more dangerous than grabbing a key. And he would still be trapped in here. No, his best option was to climb.


    So that''s what he did. It was more difficult than he thought it would be. The shelves were too far apart to simply climb. He could stand up fully and still have some room. He needed to find other perches to grab onto, and that took time.


    He got impatient at one point, and grabbed onto something that was too light to support his weight, and nearly tumbled back to the ground. Thankfully he managed to grapple the ledge and prevent himself from falling, but it was a close call.


    Not to mention the moth most likely heard him, so it would know his general location. That wasn''t good. He needed to hurry. The next time the lights went out, he likely wouldn''t have time to hide.


    Thankfully he managed to reach the top before that happened. There were some tense moments when a small cloud blocked the sun, but that lasted only a few seconds. But even in those few, brief moments, he heard the moth flapping its wings, heading in his direction. It came closer and closer every time.


    Taking a moment to catch his breath, Harry gazed at his prize, a large, brass key. It was almost half his height, and as thick as his arms. That made it heavy, and Harry''s rail thin arms protested the burden.


    Luckily, he wouldn''t need to go far. The hatch was on the other side of the shelf, only a few feet to the right. All he would have to do is give it a toss, and hope it didn''t bounce too far away.


    Unluckily, the sun chose that moment to disappear. Because of course it did. And here he thought he finally caught a lucky break. Well, he did, as he didn''t have to carry the heavy key all the way around the room, but it sure didn''t feel all that lucky when he now had a hungry monster coming to take a bite out of him.


    And that''s exactly what it was doing. Harry heard a triumphant screech as it headed for him. He had seconds before it was on him. No time to line up his shot, he just tossed the key down. He heard it hit the ground with a loud ring, as it bounced and skidded across the floor. Harry couldn''t see where it went, and hoped for the best.


    That was one problem solved, now for the next one. The moth. He could hear its rapid wing beats as it charged for him. He had to do something, but what? He was too close to freedom to give up now.


    Looking around, he spotted something that gave him an idea. The cat carrier. It wasn''t in the best of shape, but it would have to do. Hopefully, moths didn''t know how to open them, otherwise, he was toast.


    Crawling inside, he slammed the metal door shut and locked it. Just in time too. The moth landed with another hissing screech, long, slimy tongue swaying back and forth, twitching and drooling in excitement, like it was about to get something tasty.


    Unfortunately, its meal was being difficult. Rather inconsiderate of him, in the moths opinion. It was rude to make a lady wait, didn''t anyone teach him any manners? Oh well, she would just have to do it.


    The moth approached the carrier, inspecting it, tapping it with its pointy clawed feet. It shook it next, hoping to break it, but it was proving to be fairly sturdy. Something that surprised both of them.


    It was getting angry now, and the shaking became more violent. Harry held on for dear life, even as he saw the carrier start to break. That wasn''t good. That wasn''t good at all. It wouldn''t take it very long now. Soon, it would break completely, and Harry would be a goner.


    The moth seemed to realize this too, as it put even more force behind its assault. Boxes, toys and other things fell to the ground as they waltzed around the top shelf, in a vicious and brutal dance. The moth was a lousy dance partner, in Harry''s opinion.


    Then, suddenly, it stopped. Harry was grateful for the reprieve, as his head was pounding. He wondered why, knowing it couldn''t be anything good. The sun was still hidden away, so that wasn''t it. Just what was it planning?


    He would soon find out. Sharp, pointy feet gripped the carrier, using the holes in the side for leverage. Then, Harry began to rise. That''s when he figured out the moth''s plan. It was going to drop him, like a hawk hunting a turtle.


    Harry grabbed the feet, or whatever moths had, and tried to pry them off, before he got too high. But it was no use. It was just too strong. He remembered a documentary he saw once at school, about how ants could lift many times their own weight. While the moth wasn''t an ant, clearly, it still reminded him of that fact.


    Thankfully for Harry, the sun chose that moment to make a heroic appearance. Beams of light cascaded into the room, shouting "I am here!"


    The moth screamed in pain, and dropped its load, retreating once again. Harry found himself free falling, a feeling of weightlessness and vertigo wreaking havoc on his insides. He would take that any day over the pain that would soon wreck his outsides.


    Before the carrier could crash into the ground, it struck a wooden crate sticking partly out of the side. This would end up saving Harry, as it halted his momentum. It still hurt, but it wasn''t a lethal pain.


    The carrier crashed into the ground with a mighty roar, shattering to pieces. Harry slammed into the ground with enough force to bounce like a rubber ball, stopping several feet from the point of impact. Stars swam in front of his head, as he laid curled up on the floor in a fetal position, trying to stem the pain.


    But it didn''t work. His head hurt, his arms hurt, his legs hurt, his back hurt, his side hurt, everything hurt. That was easily one of the most painful things Harry has ever experienced. Being dropped from so high up was easily up there with his uncle''s beatings.


    If he hadn''t hit that crate and before hitting the ground and slowing his momentum, he would have been dead for sure.


    Slowly, the stabbing pain dulled into a limpid throb. It was uncomfortable, but manageable. He only hoped nothing was broken.


    Managing to force himself to his knees, Harry looked around the area. His vision still swam a bit, but not enough to make him feel nauseous anymore. So that was a plus. He placed his hand on the floor to help him stand, the other holding his side.


    As he did so, his hands brushed up against something. It was a flashlight. That made his eyes widen in hope. If it worked, he just might be able to make it out here after all. If it didn''t¡­


    Best not to think about that.


    Forcing himself to his feet, he flicked the switch, and to his delight, a beam of light shot out, illuminating his path. Finally, something good happened. Turning it off, not wanting to waste the batteries, he slowly limped his way across the room.


    He listened for the moth, but it was being silent at the moment. Something that put him on edge. The unknown tended to be scarier than the known. It made him wonder why he chose that.


    Oh yeah, because the known put him back with the Dursleys. Yeah, the moth was better. At least it was honest about its desire to kill him.


    Harry gripped the shelf with his hand as he stumbled a bit. He was at the end of the dark path, halfway there. Easy peasy. He just needed to catch his breath.


    It was harder than he thought to get moving again. Every step hurt, and every breath came out harder than the last. But he had to keep moving. He was almost there.


    It took an agonizingly long time, but eventually, he could see the hatch again. Perfect, now he just needed to find the key. He looked around, desperate. He was so close, if only he could find the-


    Key! Harry nearly shouted in joy as he spotted it. It was halfway underneath a shelf, but that was fine. He found it at least. That was half the battle. Now it was time to win the war.


    He hobbled faster than ever, before dropping to his knees and picking up the key. The very heavy key. He grunted as he stood up with it. It wasn''t easy to hold both it and the flashlight, but he wasn''t willing to part with either.


    So he struggled on, brass prize in hand. It was less than 10 feet now. He was almost there. Any second now, and he would escape.


    So of course the world took that moment to ruin his good mood. The lights coming in from the windows went out, one by one. He could see it happening in slow motion. Once again, he was about to be in near total darkness.


    It should scare him, knowing he was about to be preyed upon once more. But it didn''t. Not this time. This time, it made him angry.


    "Are you kidding me!?" he shouted. Harry knew it wasn''t the best decision to shout when something was hunting him, but he was fed up. The stupid light couldn''t stay for another minute. Really?


    Anger numbing the pain, he sped toward the exit, hearing the familiar sound of moth wings behind him. He tossed the key onto the hatch when he was close enough, then turned around and shone his flashlight right at the diving moth.


    It screeched in pain as it crashed into the ground, before scuttling under the shelves. Good, now if only it stays there until he leaves. That would be fantastic.


    Keeping the light focused on where the moth hid, Harry backed up to the hatch. He placed the light on the ground, still focused on the moth''s hiding spot, and grabbed the key.


    Heart pounding in his ears, he placed it into the lock. This was the moment of truth. Was it the right key, or was he doomed. He twisted it, and to his immense joy and relief, the padlock clicked open. He excitedly tossed it to the side, barely noticing the weight in his elation.


    With that obstacle out of the way, he pushed the hatch open. Or tried to. It was stuck. Maybe it just needed some motivation? A kick or two should do the trick.


    It seemed to work, as it opened an inch or two. With each subsequent kick, it loosened more and more until eventually, after about six of them, it violently shot open, the ladder extending to the floor below.


    Harry huffed and puffed, but the smile wouldn''t leave his face. He did it. He made it out of the attic of whatever house he was in. He won. He¡­


    Let his guard down.


    While kicking the hatch and making an awful racket, Harry didn''t hear the moth as it traveled around the light. His desperation was so great, he forgot about the monster entirely. So it was a complete surprise when he felt a slimy tongue wrap around his ankle and pull him away from the open hatch, dragging him across the ground.


    How could he be so stupid!? He fudges everything up, right at the eleventh hour? Are you kidding?


    He reached for the flashlight, but in his haste, he fumbled that too. Instead of grabbing it, he knocked it away. His face fell as it tumbled down the hatch and out of sight. That was his last hope.


    But he wasn''t going down without a struggle. He clawed and grabbed at the ground, anything to slow his progress toward that disgusting thing''s mouth.


    "Listen! You really don''t want to eat me. I taste terrible! Everyone says so," he tried, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. Or ears that couldn''t understand a word of what he said. Either way, it didn''t work, and the thing seemed to enjoy his struggle, knowing it would be his last.


    It dragged him underneath it, and Harry could smell its putrid breath, making him gag. "It''s called a breath mint pal," he snarked. It didn''t seem to mind, and proceeded to try and take a bite out of him.


    Harry struggled, using what little strength he had left to keep the monster at bay. But the adrenaline was leaving him, and soon, he would have no strength left.


    It was close. He could taste the things breath, which was far worse than the smell. Like rotten meat, rotten eggs, and sour milk. It was a miracle he didn''t throw up all over it. He might have tried it, if he thought it would work, but after the smell and the taste testing, he doubted it.


    Better to die with some dignity, even if he was the only one who would ever know.


    It was now an inch away. Its round mouth pulsating and drooling, eager to take the first bite. This was it. Goodbye cruel world, it was terrible knowing you.


    Just as Harry accepted his death, a miracle happened. He didn''t die. A light, bright and beautiful, and somewhat familiar, illuminated the area. The moth screeched in anger, shock, and pain as it flopped off of him, scurrying into the darkness.


    Harry breathed deeply, his heart racing like never before. What happened? Why wasn''t he dead? Not that he was complaining about that fact, he was just surprised is all.


    Laying on his back, Harry looked behind him. There, standing in the open hatch, was a figure. He couldn''t make out much, as the light was blinding him, but it seemed to be a kid like him.


    Then the light flickered off, and Harry could see who it was. Standing there was a girl about his age, with messy black hair, much like his own. Unlike him though, she had ruby red eyes, and was wearing a thin, white shirt.


    "Come with me if you want to live."

 A Perilous Path

    Six watched as the thin, dirty boy carefully made his way down the ladder. She wasn''t sure what she was thinking, saving him like that. It was dangerous. Stupid even. Something she normally wouldn''t do. Something that wouldn''t normally be done for her.


    Maybe that was why? In the vain hope that by helping someone, she would be helped in her own time of need. It was doubtful, people here weren''t that kind. Not since¡­


    Six shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. That was in the past, no use dredging up old wounds for no reason.


    She was surprised to find the mansion had an attic. No kid had ever mentioned it before. Probably because no kid has ever found it before. If the only entrance was locked from the inside, it would be nearly impossible to do so. Not to mention that if no one knew it existed, no one would be looking for it in the first place.


    But of course, it was also dangerous, with its own monster lurking about. Just like everywhere else in this place. Nowhere was safe. At least, not for long.


    The boy reached the bottom of the ladder, and turned to face Six. He was indeed thin. Thinner even than Six. With clothes far too big for him, they looked as if they''d fall off at any moment. Either that, or swallow him whole. Six had never seen someone get eaten by clothes, but she wouldn''t dismiss the possibility.


    He also had messy black hair, much like her own, and the greenest eyes she had ever seen. So bright and vibrant, refusing to dull in the face of the world. And like most kids, he wasn''t wearing any shoes.


    They stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments, neither one being particularly social. Harry, from having his cousin threaten to beat up anybody who got even remotely close to him, and Six, from having experienced the cruelty of the world they were in.


    It left them with no idea of what to do.


    Harry eventually cleared his throat, fidgeting as he tried to form words with his mouth, "Uh, thanks for, you know, um saving me. I thought I was a goner for sure."


    It was almost painful to watch, and caused Six to form the teeniest tiniest of smiles. So small you would need a magnifying glass to see it. But it was still there.


    "I... You''re welcome. Here, I think this belongs to you," she said, holding out a flashlight, cursing herself for her slight stammer. This is why she didn''t interact with people. It was awkward! But the boy in front of her either didn''t care or didn''t notice. Probably the former, considering his own stutter.


    "Oh, uh, thanks. Glad you found it," he said, once more in the possession of a flashlight. It wasn''t much, but the fact that he had a light source on hand made him feel better.


    "Hard to miss when it nearly hits you in the head," she said dryly. It was to her great surprise that when she tried to climb a ladder that appeared out of nowhere, she had to dodge a flashlight that nearly made her an invalid.


    "Oh, um¡­ Sorry?"


    "You''re not sure?"


    "What no! I mean yes, I mean, my bad."


    Six quirked an eyebrow, amused as the boy panicked. It was cute, in its own way. And likely to get them both killed. But for now, she would just enjoy the show.


    An angry hiss halted Harry''s stammering. The two of them looked back up to the entrance to the attic. There, in the shadows, barely visible, was the moth monster. Staring at them balefully. It was a look Harry was used to seeing from the thing.


    "I think it''s time to go," stated Six, eyes never leaving the threat. Harry couldn''t agree more. He looked around for an exit. Thankfully, the hallway was well lit by a light fixture on the ceiling, and for the first time, he was able to find some of them, one on the end and one on the left.


    "Which way," he asked, turning toward the girl with the ruby red eyes. She turned to give the hallway a look of her own. "The one on the left. The other way is blocked" she told him.


    "How do you know that?" he asked. It wasn''t that he doubted her, he was just curious about the confidence in which she said it. Though judging from the look she was giving him, she took his questioning as doubt.


    "Because that''s the way I came," she said, pointing to a hole above the door. "The other side is filled with trash, I used it to climb up. We''d never be able to move the door."


    "Left it is," Harry said, making his way toward said door, with Six huffing behind him, her arms crossed. He got the feeling he already screwed up with his new¡­ friend? Acquaintance? Fellow survival enthusiast?


    He''ll figure it out later.


    The door itself was made out of old, warped wood. The edges weren''t aligned right, and the whole thing seemed to be tilted slightly. It had a lever style door handle made of brass, twisted and warped like the rest of the door.


    But the strangest thing about it was the eye. A large, single eye stared down at them, carved out of the wood, watching their every move. Harry was suddenly regretting his desire for doors. The less he saw of that thing, the better.


    But there was another problem. The handle was too high up for him to grab. He''d never be able to reach it on his own. But luckily for him, he wasn''t alone. He turned to Six, who was also staring at the handle.


    "Want me to give you a boost?" he asked. She raised her eyebrow at him, staring at his rail thin arms dubiously. "Sure you can handle it?"


    Harry frowned in response, "I''m stronger than I look. Trust me."


    Trust¡­ That wasn''t something that came easy to Six. Not anymore. But maybe, she could have a little faith in this instance. Even if he failed, they were just trying to open a door. Worst comes to worst, she boosts him instead.


    Or they have to find a way to reach the hole in the other door, which would likely include climbing into the attic and tossing things down until they could climb. That would be extremely arduous, and Six sincerely hoped it wouldn''t come to that.


    Six nodded her head, and Harry gave her a smile in response. Honestly, he didn''t need to look so happy about her agreeing, he was just boosting her up to a door handle.


    Harry bent down and interlocked his fingers, giving Six a perch to step on. As she approached, suddenly a bit uncomfortable knowing she would be in contact with another person, something she hadn''t done in a long time, Harry halted her when she placed her hands on his shoulders.


    "I''m Harry by the way," he said. Six gave him a look. Hairy? Looking at his mop of unruly hair, she supposed it suited him. "Six," she stated, indicating herself.


    "It''s nice to meet you Six," he said with another smile. Sure, it was a bit of a weird thing to name someone, but he wouldn''t judge her for it. Honestly, he felt it suited her for some reason.


    "You too Hairy," she gave one of her tiny smiles back, the ones that you had to struggle to see. But even if Harry couldn''t see her smile, he could feel it. That was good enough for him.


    Introductions out of the way, Six placed her foot in his hands, balancing with her hands on his shoulders, and Harry threw her up, allowing her to jump off his feet and grab onto the door handle.


    It was a bit harder than Harry thought it would be, and he was grateful that he didn''t break what little trust she placed in him. She was heavier than the key from earlier, though not by much. He got the idea he shouldn''t tell her that.


    Six dangled from the handle for a second as it clicked open. The door began to swing out, before it collapsed entirely, bringing her down with it. It hit the ground with a loud crash, Six grunting from the impact.


    "Six!" Harry shouted as he ran up to her. She was already picking herself up, and Harry held out a hand to help her the rest of the way. To both of their mild surprise, she grabbed his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.


    Six was surprised because she didn''t normally like being touched or touching others. Harry was surprised because most people didn''t want to touch the freak.


    Were hands always so warm. It was a thought that crossed the minds of two lonely children who forgot what human contact felt like. Well, human contact that wasn''t trying to hurt them.


    "You ok?" Harry asked, still holding her hand. It was surprisingly soft. Or were hands always this soft. He''s never held one before, at least, not that he can remember. It was nice.


    "Yeah, I''m fine," Six responded. The fall didn''t hurt exactly, she was more surprised by it than anything. Much like the fact that she was holding hands with someone. When was the last time she had done this? She couldn''t remember. It was nice.


    The two of them realized they were still holding hands and slowly, almost reluctantly, let go. They stood there in awkward silence once more, not knowing exactly how to proceed.


    They started looking around them, anywhere but at the other person in the room. It was another long room, tall and narrow. Along the walls were bird houses, warped and rotten, with pieces missing.


    They were standing on a platform of some kind, surrounded by what looked like water heaters. Six ignored them and walked toward the edge and carefully gazed down, letting out a "hmm" sound as she did so.


    Curious, Harry followed suit. Below them was a walkway, one that zigzagged in weird places, that rose and fell in others, with parts that were extremely narrow, and others that were extremely wide. It looked like a carpenter''s worst nightmare.


    Underneath the walkway was a black abyss. Neither Harry nor Six could see the bottom. They had no way of knowing if it would be a short fall or a long one, but neither wanted to find out.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    And above it were more birdcages. These ones made of metal and dangling from chains connected to the ceiling. A ceiling that was falling apart, leaving gaping holes in the roof. At least it provided them some light, so that was a plus.


    Thankfully, there seemed to be a way down. The raised platform connected to one beneath it with planks of wood, forming a makeshift ladder. It wasn''t an actual one, but it would function as one all the same.


    "Have you ever been here before?" asked Harry as he stepped away from the edge. Six shook her head as she did the same. "No, but I don''t see another way."


    Harry didn''t either, and they both decided to move forward. Six went first, carefully lowering herself onto the makeshift ladder. The boards were rough and worn, and spaced unevenly and crookedly. If they weren''t careful, it would be all too easy for one of them to make a mistake and fall.


    Harry watched as Six made her way down. Once she was a few steps down, Harry then started his own descent. He didn''t want to stand on the same board at the same time, in fear they wouldn''t be able to hold their weight.


    The two slowly and carefully continued their downward climb. Every groan from the wood had them begging for it to hold up. They were about halfway down when something went wrong.


    Six''s foot went to land on another board, just like the ones before it. But as she did, a loud screech startled her, causing her foot to hit the wood with more force than she intended.


    The result was the board breaking, and Six slipping. She didn''t fall far, thankfully, having managed to grab another piece of wood directly below it. One that remarkably held her weight.


    "Six," Harry whispered in worry. Six pulled herself up and held onto the plank of wood, willing her heart rate to slow down. That was almost a disaster.


    "I''m fine," she whispered back. Harry gave a relieved nod in return. But their problems were only just starting. What was the noise, and where did it come from? That was a question on both of their minds.


    They heard a rustling sound coming from above them. One of the larger birdhouses began to shake, and from it emerged the beak of a massive avian creature. It was easily 4 or 5 times bigger than them, and made the moth from earlier look small by comparison.


    It slowly lumbered its way outside of its home, yawning as it did so. Where a normal bird''s beak only opened up and down, this one opened left and right as well. Its beak separated into four parts, each lined with crocodile-like teeth, and a snake-like tongue flickered outward.


    Both of them could only stare at it, having never seen something like it before. But instincts kicked in, ones born from being the smallest and the weakest thing around. Harry with his relatives, and Six with the monsters of the world.


    They needed to hide before it turned its gaze their way. But where? They were on a ladder. But there had to be somewhere. Then Six looked¡­ right in front of her. Oh, right¡­ her foot just kicked off a board and made an opening just big enough for them to climb through.


    She felt a bit stupid for not thinking of it immediately.


    "Psst," she whispered to Harry, who gave her a look. She motioned where they could hide, and Harry nodded back. It was their only option at this point. Six climbed through easy enough, and Harry made his way down, with a bit less care than he should.


    One of the boards splintered, not enough to break it entirely, but more than enough to make noise. A loud crack echoed through the room. There was no hope that the bird monster didn''t hear that. Another loud screech seemed to confirm it.


    Throwing caution to the wind, Harry rapidly descended the last few steps, and climbed through. They both watched with bated breath as the creature flew over. It landed on the platform below and inspected the pieces of wood that Six broke.


    Then it looked up, and its neck began to extend and elongate, raising up to see what caused the mess. The two of them shuffled to either side of the structure, trying to hide themselves in the shadows it provided and keeping as still as possible.


    And it seemed to work. The bird monster moved its head to either side, tongue flicking out of its maw, but it didn''t spot them. It withdrew its neck after a few moments, having seemingly lost interest. Six was immensely glad creatures of this world lacked intelligence, even the ones that looked human.


    The bird flapped its wings and flew higher, heading for the spot they entered from. Even though it was gone, the two of them remained completely still and silent for several long moments. When nothing seemed to happen, and they could no longer hear any noise coming from the monster, they let out a sigh of relief.


    They looked at each other and Harry made a gesture, asking if they should leave. Six nodded and the two climbed out from behind the ladder, with Six going ahead of Harry.


    This time luck seemed to be on their side, as they made it down without incident. Harry rolled his shoulders, getting the kinks out of it, as Six kept her gaze laser focused behind her, where the bird vanished to.


    The small platform they were on was barren save for a couple of empty boxes. There was nothing there and their only path forward was the walkway. Now that they were closer, Harry could see that the planks of wood used to make it were all different sizes. Different lengths, different widths, and different thicknesses.


    It was truly a hodgepodge structure. Harry wondered who made it, and why. Why would someone make something like this? It didn''t make sense.


    Well it didn''t matter who made it, all that mattered was they had to cross it. Harry made a sweeping motion toward it, with a whispered, "Ladies first."


    Six rolled her eyes, but complied nonetheless. The first thing she noticed was the sheer unevenness of it. Sure she could see it with her eye, but to feel it with her bare feet was another matter.


    The second thing was that it wasn''t secured nearly as well as it should be. Her first step made it sway to the right, forcing her to keep her balance. A hand on her back, placed there by Harry, kept her steady. She gave him a look and nodded her head in thanks, which he returned.


    Now knowing what to expect, it was far easier to keep her balance. But when Harry stepped onto it, things became a little more difficult. And by a little, she meant it was like trying to balance on a seesaw that was resting on the point of a needle.


    It was proving to be nearly impossible. But they had to figure out a way. After some trial and error, they made a plan. They faced toward each other, using their weight to counterbalance the other. Then, in unison, they took a step toward the exit, Harry using his right foot, and Six using her left.


    As they made their way further into the room, Harry was also able to get a look inside the hanging bird cages. Most of them were empty, save for a bit of dust, but then there were some¡­ Well, it was clear they weren''t used to house birds.


    Not something Harry wanted to contemplate. So instead, he focused all his intention on making his way across the room with Six. It was dreadfully slow, but it was working. The walkway still swayed, but it was manageable. Step by step, they made their way across.


    But of course, it''s when everything is going right, that everything goes wrong.


    A loud, familiar screech caught their attention, and a flapping sound grew closer. The bird was back, and they had nowhere to hide. But that was only the beginning of their problems.


    As the avian reentered the room, it just so happened to knock into one of the water heaters from the top of the platform. An action that sent it plummeting down onto the walkway they were standing on.


    As it struck down, the walkway shook violently, causing Six and Harry to fall to the ground. It felt like an earthquake. It was all they could do not to tumble over the edge, clinging to the rough, splintery wood in desperation.


    But that wouldn''t save them from the thing rolling toward them. Harry wasn''t sure if it was magic or something else, but everytime it looked like the water heater would go sailing over the edge, some power kept in on. It would hit a bump and correct course, or the walkway would sway at just the right time and just the right angle. Whatever the reason, it wasn''t natural.


    They needed to run, but the shaking of the platform made that nearly impossible. Six made it up on unsteady feet, trying to keep her balance even as the swaying grew worse as their death approached. She lasted about a second before falling once more.


    But that second allowed Six to come up with a plan. She could see the path ahead of them opened up into a wide section. If they could make it there, they had a chance to avoid being crushed. But that was a big if. Neither one was able to stay on their feet very long.


    "Over there!" she yelled, pointing to the section ahead. Harry looked to see what she was talking about and nodded his head in understanding. Six nodded back and began making her way over.


    The two of them crawled as fast as they could, grasping the floor to keep themselves on. The coarse wood shaved at their skin, causing parts to peel off. Numerous splinters stabbed into them as well, making the trip unpleasant to say the least.


    But the sound of the ever approaching heater rolling towards them spurned them on to move faster, regardless of the pain.


    What felt like forever was seconds at most. They reached the section and rolled to the side, just in time for the water heater to barrel past them. It continued on to the end, where it smacked into the wall, splitting it open, before falling off the edge.


    They never heard it hit the bottom.


    Breathing deeply, thankful to be alive, and miserable due to the pain in their hands and feet, they gave each other a look of relief. The whole affair may have nearly killed them, but it also opened the way forward.


    At the end of the walkway was a small platform, much like the other end. Only this one was connected to a wall and nothing else. One that now had a small crack in it, just big enough for kids like them to squeeze through. A crack that only appeared due the water heater bashing into it.


    If that hadn''t happened, they would have been stuck there, and forced to backtrack. But they were fortunately misfortunate. Just a little further, and they would be free and clear.


    "Skraw!"


    Both of them turned to look behind them at the bird on top of the scaffolding. Its small, beady eyes were trained squarely on them.


    They glanced at each other again before scrambling to their feet. The walkway shifted and swayed like before, but it somehow seemed a bit more manageable. Six scurried off ahead with Harry in hot pursuit.


    They moved as fast as they could, and moved faster still, as they heard the giant bird take off. They were going faster than before, but it was still rather slow in comparison to their normal sprint. The way they stumbled across the room made them appear intoxicated.


    The path narrowed out again, and traveled downward at a slight angle. Six looked back to see their stalker hot on their heels, bridging the gap with every second that passed. Staring at the predator as she was, she failed to watch where she was going. Her foot snagged on an uneven spot and she fell to the floor, stubbed toe throbbing in pain.


    But that was the least of her problems. The main concern was the bird, swooping toward them ever closer, screeching in hunger, demanding them satiate its primal need.


    Thankfully, she wasn''t alone. When Harry reached her, he grabbed her by the waist and hauled her to her feet, adrenaline giving him just enough strength to make it seem easy. He held onto her as they hobbled toward the exit.


    They were so close! But Harry knew they wouldn''t make it. His instincts flared at him, telling him if he didn''t do something, he was going to die. But there was nothing he could do. The bird was too fast. It was only a matter of time until it caught them.


    But it didn''t have to catch both of them. If he timed his power just right, he could hurl her across the remaining distance to safety. That was the only option he could think of. He refused to abandon Six or use her as bait. That''s something the Dursleys would do.


    And Harry was no Dursley.


    He gathered the power into his left hand, the one holding onto Six, and held it there until the last moment. He only had one shot at this, he needed to make it count.


    Six winced everytime her foot hit the ground, as pain shot up through her leg and up her whole right side. How could she have been so stupid? She should have been watching where she was going, but let her curiosity get the best of her. It was a rookie mistake, and now she would pay the price for it.


    And it wasn''t just her that would have to pay it. Her new¡­ friend? Acquaintance? Fellow bird watcher? He would have to pay the rest of her tab. It wasn''t exactly fair, but then again, when was anything fair.


    The worst part was how close they made it. Just another 10 or 15 feet and they could escape through the crack. But they would never make it. She could feel the wind produced by the creature''s wingbeats ruffle her hair. Any second now, they would be that thing''s dinner.


    Or at least, that''s what she thought. Just as she was falling to the depths of despair, the feeling of the bird monster''s hot breath on her neck, she found herself hurling through the air. She landed with a rough grunt and tumbled into the wall. She had just enough time to look back at Harry disappearing into its maw.


    "Hairy!"


    Her shout drew the creature''s attention and it made to go for her again. Realizing this, and that there was nothing she could do for him, she crawled through the hole in the wall. She was safe, at least for now.


    But Harry¡­


    Six curled herself into a ball, resting her head between her knees, with her back against the wall. One thought swirling in her head. One question stuck on repeat. Why? Why had he sacrificed himself?


    For her?


    She didn''t care that he seemed to have some strange power. Considering the things she''s seen in this world, that didn''t seem all that outlandish. But why had he used that power to save her and not himself?


    She didn''t understand it. Maybe she never would. All she knew was that she was alone again, in a house that had never seemed so big.

 Dinner Invitation

    The massive bird growled as her other prey escaped in a crack in the wall. That was the problem with all these small things, they could flee in the tiniest of places. It made for a frustrating hunt.


    But, she at least still caught one tasty morale. Even now, she could feel it squirming around in her stomach. Good, the livelier the better. Her children loved it when their prey struggled.


    She spread her wings wide and with a mighty flap, took to the sky. She gracefully avoided the dangling cages as she flew back to her nest, a beautiful thing in her opinion.


    It was the largest one in the room, with patches of mold growing out of the faded red wood. Thick, grubby termites wiggled out of the wood from time to time, providing a delicious snack. And let''s not forget the smell. Ammonia and rotten eggs.


    Yes, her home was the perfect place to raise some children. And the location couldn''t be better. So many tasty morsels appeared all the time. As long as she could pick them off before the other inhabitants, she had an easy meal source. And the best part was, they had little to no fur, just patches on the top of their head. It made swallowing them a breeze. Nothing to get stuck in her throat.


    Which was especially good for her little ones. It was just awful when they gagged on something that was too hairy. She much preferred letting them tear into something that wasn''t a choking hazard.


    Indeed, Harry wasn''t hairy enough to be a problem.


    She landed on her perch outside her home, listening to the hungry cries of her children. They were so demanding, but she didn''t mind. She was their mother, and they were her precious little babies.


    Stepping inside the birdhouse, the incessant chirping grew even louder. They knew their mommy wouldn''t come back unless she had something to give them. Hopefully it was one of those pink things. Those were their favorite, so plump and juicy with a satisfying crunch in the center.


    Momma gave a loud squawk and they quieted down, but their eyes never strayed from her form. She began to make gagging noises, head bobbing up and down as she retched.


    Soon enough, a slimy form appeared. They were delighted; it was one of those pink things. Their mom was just the best.


    Harry had a different view of the avian creature. He thought her to be rather repugnant and downright rude. How dare she barf him up! Wasn''t he good enough to eat? Did he really taste so bad a literal monster couldn''t keep him down?


    Perhaps he should have been relieved rather than outraged, considering he now had a chance to live, however small it might be. But he was coated in saliva and vomit, and that was just upsetting. The smell was absolutely awful.


    Harry stood up and wiped the offending substance from his eyes. He made his own gagging noise as he did so. This day really was the worst. So bad, the Dursleys were starting to look pretty good.


    Now being able to see, Harry shifted his gaze around the enclosure he found himself in. Firstly, it was somewhat dark, with the only light coming in from the hole in the front. It wasn''t so dark he couldn''t see, but he couldn''t make out any fine details.


    Not that he wanted to. The image in front of him was bad enough. Three large bids, about the same size as himself, stared at him like Dudley stared at a Christmas ham. It made him very uncomfortable.


    And he couldn''t forget the biggest bird, the one that stood behind him, preventing him from escaping. It kept an ever watchful eye, making sure he was eaten properly.


    Harry guessed why he was kept alive. This species, whatever it was, must have preferred to feed their young live prey. Lucky him, he gets to see the inside of a bird twice.


    He searched around frantically for a way out before they began to tear him apart. It wouldn''t be long with that amount of drool coming from them.


    Beneath him was grass and straw and things of a similar nature. There was also a ridiculous amount of bird droppings. He knew they were just mindless beasts, but come on. If you''re going to invite someone over for dinner, at least clean up a bit. That''s just common courtesy.


    But through his mental tirade, he was able to spot something in the corner. It was a bit of light, seeping through the cracks of wood. Part of the bottom of the birdhouse must have rotted away. Perhaps even enough for him to slip through.


    What he would do after¡­ Well, one step at a time. First he had to make it over there, past three hungry, juvenile monster birds.


    Easy, right?


    He was thankful they waited for him to come up with a plan before attempting to eat him. Very considerate of them.


    With a loud caw, one of the birds waddled over to try and take a nibble. Luckily, it was slow, and Harry managed to dive out of the way. The bird brough its head up, and angrily spit out a bunch of straw. Its siblings seemed to think it was funny, as they cooed with laughter.


    Harry ran past the first bird as it was trying to get the straw out of its mouth. Bird number 2 tried its luck next, but Harry confused it by hopping from one leg to the other. It wasn''t sure where to bite, and attacked where Harry was, and not where he was going, allowing him to slip by.


    That only left one more obstacle, in his path to freedom. It also happened to be the largest of its siblings, with distinct plumage covering it. It stood with a petulant squawk as Harry approached.


    He wished he could use his power right now, but he was completely drained. The last bird jumped into the air, flapping its wings as it attempted to pounce on him. Harry rolled forward, barely managing to avoid its talons.


    Part one accomplished, now for part two, squeezing through the opening. Harry dove for it, arms frantically tossing aside anything in his path. The exit was so close, he could feel the breeze.


    So of course, that''s when he felt something bite into his ankle. One of them must have caught up to him, and Harry was betting on the big one. It pulled him away from the edge, as Harry grabbed at everything he could to slow it down. He was just thankful they didn''t seem to have their teeth yet.


    It felt familiar. Maybe Six would show up and shine the¡­


    Flashlight! Of course! If it worked on the moth, maybe it would work on them too. If nothing else, it might startle them long enough for Harry to get away. It was his best chance.


    Thankfully he didn''t lose it in the bird''s stomach. He reached into his oversized pocket, and pulled the slimy thing out. Gross. Now as long as it was waterproof, he was in the clear. He pointed it at the happy bird and hoped this would ruin its day.


    Let there be light!


    He flicked the switch on, and to his immense relief, a brilliant beam of light erupted from it, straight into the bird''s beady little eyes. It screeched in pain and released Harry from its grasp. He shined the light into the eyes of the other two birds, their cries of pain music to his ears.


    What wasn''t, was the sound of the angry mama bird as yelled at him for daring to hurt her precious little ones. It reminded him of his aunt and cousin. No matter what Dudley did, it was never his fault. Petunia would blame everyone and everything before her Duddykins.


    With them now distracted, Harry crawled as fast as he could toward the crack in the wood. He removed the final bit of debris halting his path forward, trying not to think about the human looking skull he just tossed behind him.


    But with that out of the way he was able to cram his way through the opening and into the outside. But once there, his worst fears were realized. There was nowhere to go.


    He might be able to make it to a small ledge on the wall, one made from a protruding stud. It was just big enough for him to stand on, but he wasn''t sure he could make the jump.


    And even if he did, what then? He was sure mama bird would realize he escaped soon enough and come looking. Once that happened, he would be trapped. But it seemed like he had no choice.


    Standing up on the tiny space he had available on the birdhouse, he shimmied his way closer to the ledge. He nearly tumbled into the darkness below when one of the baby bird things slammed into the wall, but thankfully he was able to keep his balance. It was a lot easier compared to the walkway below.


    He scooted as close to the ledge as he could. Unfortunately, it wasn''t flush against the wall, the birdhouse jutting out a good ways. He would have to make a jump, onto a ledge that was barely wider than his own feet.


    Easy right?


    He psyched himself up for a moment, doing mini squats in preparation. Just as he gathered the necessary courage, one of the fledgling birds inside rammed the wall once more, sending Harry sprawling off the birdhouse.


    Thankfully, he landed on the ledge, though he did so ribs first. He frantically grabbed for the edge, managed to grab hold of it just in time, gripping it for all he was worth. Which according to his relatives, wasn''t very much.


    He dangled there for a moment, hanging by his hands, before turning to glare at the birdhouse. Only to find something else glaring right back at him. It was one of the little birds, the biggest one in fact, glaring daggers into Harry''s prone form.


    With a panicked look, Harry began to lift himself up. But of course, it couldn''t be that easy. His avian hunter seemed to take offense that his breakfast was attempting to escape, and began to violently thrust himself at the small opening, attempting to break through and devour him.


    Unfortunately for the predator, it didn''t realize just what the consequences would be of ramming into a fragile structure over and over would be. But Harry did. He could see exactly what was about to happen. Small cracks appeared in the wood, getting bigger and bigger each time it hit the wall. With any luck, it would collapse and take them with it.


    After a few short moments, Harry''s prediction proved to be true. The bottom of the corner gave way, and the three birds tumbled out of it, heading straight down. With a panicked squawk, the mother exited the birdhouse, and dove down after her babies.


    Two of her babies.


    The smaller of the three hadn''t yet developed the necessary feathers required to fly. But that wasn''t true for their big brother. The one responsible for the collapse flapped furiously, flying for the first time. It took him a moment to get his bearings, and he may have flown into the wall a time or two, but he eventually got the hang of it.


    And that was bad news for Harry. He looked down at the bird as it slowly rose in the air, staring at him with hunger in its eyes. His breakfast was late, and that just wouldn''t do. With a loud, "Scree!" it dove at Harry.


    He cursed, and barely managed to get to the side as the bird crashed into the wall. It backed away, shaking the cobwebs from its head.


    It glared even harder at him and went for another attack. Harry knew that even if dodged this one, sooner or later he would fail, and become that thing''s snack. Or he would fall however far to his death. Neither option sounded pleasant, but what could he do?


    He couldn''t pull himself up to the ledge in time and even if he did, then what? There was nowhere to go. But there had to be something he could do, somewhere he could go. Ideally, he would go the same path as Six, and reunite with his¡­friend?


    Still workshopping that.


    The question was, how? How could he get down there? He couldn''t see a path, and with the bird trying to kill him, it likely wouldn''t have mattered. So what? What could he do?


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Watching the bird getting closer and closer, an idea popped into his head. If a bird brought him up here, a bird could bring him down. If he could just time the jump right and grab onto the thing, maybe he could steer it toward the exit. It wasn''t exactly a good plan, but at the moment, he would take a bad plan over no plan at all.


    He placed his feet against the wall, noting its sandpaper like texture, and got ready to jump.


    Almost¡­


    Almost¡­


    Now!


    Using whatever strength he had left, he leapt backwards from the wall. The bird squawked in surprise as Harry managed to grab onto its legs, sending it spiraling downward.


    Harry let out a frightened yell as he and the monster plummeted toward the abyss. With Harry''s added weight, it wasn''t able to keep itself aloft, no matter how hard it flapped.


    Part one was successful, now he just needed to steer the beast in the right direction, something it wasn''t currently doing. So he pulled on its right leg, mostly in desperation, but fortunately, it seemed to work. Harry controlled the monster like he was parachuting.


    Left¡­ no right¡­ keep it steady¡­ almost there¡­


    Harry was concentrating so hard on controlling the bird, that he failed to notice something coming up from below. It was none other than momma, and she wasn''t very happy.


    She flew by them, the wind from her wings sending him and the beast into a tailspin. Something that was less than ideal. He heard a loud squawk from the parent monster, most likely calling her child back to her.


    It tried to head in her direction, which was the exact opposite of where Harry wanted to go. So with an angry, violent tug on its left leg, Harry corrected its course. It let out a noise of pain, something that normally would have made Harry feel bad. But he had zero pity left for this thing. It was relentless in its desire to eat him, and Harry found himself uncaring of its pain.


    He kept tugging at it whenever it tried to go in another direction, bringing it back on track, and soon he was nearly there. He could have cried he was so relieved. There was just one problem left¡­


    He was going too fast!


    The end of the room was approaching quickly, meaning he was about to splat against the wall. Something he would like to avoid if at all possible. But if he lets go too soon, the bird above him might be able to correct itself and take a nibble out of him; another thing he would like to avoid.


    He would have to time this perfectly as well. Hopefully his luck would allow for two in a row. If he did it just right, the creature should still slam into the wall, just without Harry. That was the plan, now he just needed to execute it.


    Looking ahead in determinations, he carefully yet violently forced the bird in the direction he wanted to go. It tried to bite him, but unlike its mother, its neck didn''t extend far enough. One more lucky break for Harry, but how many did he have left?


    It was almost time. He only had one shot at this, there were no redos in the game of life. Succeed or fail, those were his only options, and Harry chose to succeed.


    He let go, just as the bird tried to take another bite. He hit the rough, wooden platform and rolled. The unevenness of it made it far more painful than it needed to be. He came to a stop as he rammed into the wall.


    So it wasn''t exactly perfect, but he was doing better than the bird. It hit the wall with enough force to snap its neck. Or at least, that''s what Harry thought the sound was, what he hoped it was.


    The bird''s body fell towards the floor and Harry rolled out of the way with a panicked yelp. It hit the floor with a resounding thud, right next to Harry. He panted and gasped for breath, the whole ordeal having taken its toll. Harry may have liked flying, but he would be happy to never take that particular mode of transport again.


    He stood on shaky legs and approached the body, wanting to make sure it wouldn''t be a problem anymore. He gave it a good kick, and when it did nothing, gave a satisfied sigh, releasing a breath he didn''t know he was holding.


    That was one problem out of the way, now he just had to make his escape and join back up with Six. He hoped she hadn''t gone too far. Turns out, she was closer than he thought.


    "Hairy?" questioned a voice coming from the wall. Harry''s head whipped around in a mild panic, trying to find the source. Much to his surprise, he spotted a familiar head of messy hair and crimson eyes, staring at him in a combination of relief, wonderment, anger, and a few other emotions he didn''t recognize.


    "Hey Six," he said back, as he approached her. She took this moment to completely crawl out of the crack in the wall, standing up and facing him.


    "You''re alive? But how? I saw it eat you," she questioned. When she came out to see what that loud noise was, this was the last thing she thought she''d find. Not that she wasn''t glad that he was alive, it was just a shock is all.


    People don''t come back from being eaten. That was as true in this world as it was in the last. It may have been more true, considering how many other kids she''s seen disappear into the drooling maw of a creature, never to return. Not until Harry that is.


    "And what''s this thing?" she asked, giving the corpse next to her a curious glance. It was clearly a smaller version of the thing that ate her companion, but why was it here? And what happened to it? Was that the cause of the loud noise? She returned her gaze to Harry, waiting for him to answer.


    "Well, after I was eaten, the big one took me up to her nest. Turns out she wanted to feed me to her young, and barfed me back up to do so. It was¡­ unpleasant," he said. Six crinkled her nose at that. It sounded disgusting. It also explained the smell. She thought it was coming from the body, but it seems she was wrong.


    "I see. But how did you get away?" she questioned, trying not to think of the fact that she would be stuck with him smelling like that. They needed to find somewhere to bathe, and pronto. There was little doubt the other things living within these walls would be able to smell him if he continued to release such a stench.


    "After being thrown up, I managed to avoid all the baby monsters and squeezed through a crack in the wood. But they were persistent, and ended up breaking the wall and falling. This one," Harry said, motioning to the dead body on the ground, "Was extra persistent, and kept coming for me. I managed to grab its feet and steer it over here."


    Six raised a brow at that. It seemed so implausible that it borderlined the impossible. Perhaps there was more to the skinny kid than meets the eye. Actually, she knew there was...


    That strange power he used to save her.


    Should she ask him about it? Or was it better to leave it be for now, and focus on what to do next? She wasn''t sure what the right thing to do was, and she didn''t like that. Not knowing things got you killed. Like not knowing this room had a giant bird monster. That very nearly ended badly for both of them.


    Not knowing what to do or where to go, bumbling around in the dark, hoping you would find a path that led to somewhere even remotely safe, that was a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately it was one she had to follow far more than she would like. Everything turned out fine so far, but eventually, that recipe would produce something sour.


    So following that logic, it was best to know about this extra variable. The more unknowns there were, the greater the chance of death. It was best to get all available information she could, no matter how small. Anything could be of help, and a strange power seemed pretty helpful.


    "Hair-"


    Six was interrupted by the sound of a loud and frustratingly familiar sound. The two of them looked up to see the sight of the giant bird once more at her nest, looking around for her baby. It was only a matter of time until it found them. Luckily, they were very near an exit, one far too small for it to get through.


    Turning to face Harry, she was about to tell him they needed to go, when a movement caught her attention. It was the smaller bird, having been roused from its unconscious state by its mother''s calls.


    Guess it wasn''t dead after all. Isn''t that just perfect?


    "Come on," she said, receiving a nod in return. The two of them quickly made their way to the crack in the wall, just as the monster made its way to its feet. It looked around for a moment, confused, before its eyes caught sight of them, and a burning anger radiated from its entire being.


    It let out a similar shriek to its mother, which caught her attention, before charging at them. It had no intention of letting its food get away. It was food! It should be happy to be eaten. That was the whole point of food in the first place.


    The two reached the crack and began squeezing through, first Six and then Harry. They made it just as the creature reached the wall. It gave a loud, frustrated cry as it stared after them.


    On the other side, Harry and Six released sighs of relief, looking back at the crack from the center of the room. It seems they were safe for now.


    "We made it¡­ Somehow," Harry panted. He was 100% done with today. All he wanted to do was lie down and take a nap. Ok, a nice meal sounded pretty good too, but he doubted that was happening anytime soon.


    "Seems like it," Six said, getting her own breathing under control. She was just glad that thing was too big to fit inside.


    Or at least she thought it was. The sound of claws scraping against wood, and angry, pained cries coming from the crack drew her notice. Turns out, it was far more persistent than either of them gave it credit for.


    Its head elongated into the room, staring at them with anger and hunger, as it tried to force the rest of its body inside. It was a tight squeeze, and they could see the blood oozing out of the cuts it received for its efforts. But still it did not cease. It struggled, even as the fluffy feathers coating its body sheared off onto the wall.


    Very persistent indeed.


    Moments later, it shot into the room, stumbling to the ground as it did so. It slowly got to its feet, and gave them a triumphant glare.


    They needed to move, and fast, but where would they go? Looking around, Six spotted another ladder-like structure leading upwards. It wasn''t very high, maybe ten feet, but it wouldn''t be able to reach them there.


    "Up there!" she shouted. Harry looked to where she was pointing and agreed. It was their best option at the moment. Hopefully there was another exit up there. The two took off at a sprint, ignoring the sound of the bird as it ran after them.


    It was a good thing birds weren''t fast runners. Or at least, this one wasn''t. It looked like a tap dancing penguin as it chased after them. It might have been a comical sight if it wasn''t planning to eat them.


    They made it to the ladder and began to climb. The bird let out another squawk, and Harry imagined it was telling them to stop, but neither he nor SIx had any intention of following that order.


    They climbed quickly, or as quickly as two exhausted children could. It was made all the more difficult as the thing down below slammed into the structure, trying to knock them down.


    Thankfully, it didn''t succeed, and they made it to the top. Six helped Harry up the final step, as they once more caught their breath. It was a good thing it was so easy to catch, with how many times it seemed to get away from them.


    They crawled over to the edge and peered down, watching as the thing threw a temper tantrum.


    "Why isn''t it flying?" Harry asked, watching as it tried to climb up with little success, making pitiful whines every time it failed. But it wasn''t giving up, and Harry feared sooner or later it would figure out a way to reach them.


    "Its wing is broken, see?" Six said, pointing to its left side. Harry squinted as he tried to see what she was talking about, and lo and behold, its wing was definitely broken. Or at the very least, dislocated as it dangled there uselessly.


    "You''re right. You have good eyes," he complimented. He hadn''t noticed a thing, too busy running for his life. But that explains the noise he heard when it slammed into the wall. He would have preferred it was its neck, but he would take what he could get.


    "All the better to survive with. I see something else too," she said. Harry turned to her and saw her looking behind them. It was a metal cage, the ones big enough for kids like them to fit into.


    Not a thought he found to be pleasant.


    But what did she want with that? His confusion must have been palpable, because she rolled her eyes before pointing at the cage, and then down at the bird below. Slowly it donned on Harry just what she wanted to do.


    He stood up and gave her a look of determination as he nodded. With that, they made their way over, and placed themselves behind the cage, before pushing it toward the edge. It was a fairly difficult thing to accomplish, given how heavy the cage was and how uneven and rough the ground was, but they managed, inch by inch, until it was dangling over the edge.


    The bird below was unaware of the danger it was in. It heard them making some noise up above and assumed they were trying to escape, so it hastened its attempts to climb. It just made it onto the first step, letting a trill of joy at the success.


    That''s the last thing it would ever do. Just as it looked up to prepare its next attempt to reach the second step, a metal cage slammed into its skull. It didn''t even have time to cry out before its entire world turned dark.


    Harry and Six observed their handy work from above, watching and waiting for any sign of movement. They doubted it would get up again, considering the pool of red liquid consolidating around its head, but they didn''t want to take any chances.


    It had fooled them once already, and they weren''t willing to be fooled a second time. But after a few minutes, they decided it was safe enough.


    "Come on," Six beckoned, as she began to climb down far more leisurely than she climbed up.


    "What for?" Harry asked, following nonetheless. He had noticed what looked like a vent on the other side of the platform they were on, and figured they would leave right away. But apparently, SIx had other plans.


    "That thing should be edible," she said. That caused Harry to pause in his step. Edible? She wanted to eat that thing? The thought was gross in Harry''s mind, but his stomach thought it sounded like a great idea, the perfect way to exact revenge.


    His gut hadn''t led him wrong yet.


    "I see," he said. They made it to the bottom without issue and inspected the corpse, making sure it really was one this time. Thankfully, it seemed like it was, as its skull was split open. It wasn''t a pretty sight, but Harry was just thankful it wouldn''t try and eat him anymore.


    Instead, he would eat it.


    "So, how do we do this," Harry asked. He wasn''t a stranger in the kitchen but this was a far cry from his usual equipment. Six seemed to ponder his question for a bit, looking around, before she seemed to come up with an idea.


    "We can use the cage as a fire pit. Cook the meat over the bars," she said. Harry thought about it for a moment, before nodding his head. The metal cage had four solid walls which would contain the fire well, and the bars provided good ventilation to keep it going as well as providing a spot to place the meat. It wasn''t a perfect solution, but it would do.


    "Good idea," he told her. It was hard to tell, but she seemed to appreciate the praise, even if only a little bit. Harry made to move the cage with Six, but stopped. He felt like he was being watched. It was similar to the sensation he felt while in the hot air balloon, and all those eyes were staring at him.


    But that couldn''t be what was happening now. It was impossible that they were observing him at this very moment, wasn''t it?


    Looking around, he didn''t notice anything at first. It wasn''t until he looked at the crack in the wall, the one they used to enter this room, that he noticed it.


    It was a large eye, but not the same ones from before, yet it was familiar all the same. It belonged to the mama bird. Harry shuddered at the sheer amount of hatred in its eye, promising him pain and torment should it ever get the chance.


    They stared at each other for a few moments, before it took off, the sound of its wing beats getting fainter and fainter. Harry released a sigh of relief, before the feeling of a hand on his shoulder startled him.


    Turning around rapidly, he calmed down when it was only Six. "You good?" she asked. He wasn''t sure how much she truly cared, but he was thankful nonetheless.


    "Yeah, just¡­ I hope we never run into that thing again," he said. She looked at him for a moment, before nodding and removing her hand. Her gaze shifted to the crack, a thoughtful frown on her face.


    "You know, most of the monsters seem to forget about us fairly quickly. Once we''re out of sight, they tend to return to whatever it is they were doing. But I don''t think that thing will ever forget us. Especially you," she said. That look in its eyes was something she had never seen before, and it was something she hoped to never see again.


    Harry''s gaze lingered on her for a moment as well, before he too looked back at the crack in the wall. "I think you''re right."

 The Taste of Revenge

    There was something morbidly fascinating about watching Six prepare the bird for dinner. She was sitting cross legged on the floor, with the creature pulled into her lap. Harry had made things from scratch before, but this was far beyond that. It was almost hypnotic to watch her remove the fluffy feathers of the juvenile bird.


    He wasn''t sure it was a good thing that he found it so soothing, but he couldn''t find it in him to care. Petty revenge never felt so sweet, and now he would get to see what it tasted like.


    "Have you done this before?" he asked her. There was a small pile of feathers next to her as she sat there, almost mechanically removing them. His voice seemed to startle her for a second, as she looked up from her work.


    "A few times. Nothing quite this big though. Mostly rats and pigeons," she responded, returning to her task. Harry grimaced at the thought of eating rats or their flying variants, but when needs must, he supposed.


    And considering where they were, needs were very much a must.


    "I see," he said, hoping he didn''t let his disgust show. It must have come through, but Six was far from offended. In fact, she seemed rather amused by it.


    "They''re not as bad as you''d think. And after a day or two without food¡­ Well, I can''t say it was the best thing I''ve ever eaten, but it kept me alive."


    Harry nodded at that. Survival was more important than the taste. But if given the choice, Harry would definitely prefer something to be tasty. Hopefully, the pile of meat Six was holding turned out to be just that.


    "How did you learn how to do this?" he asked next. She paused in her task once more, but her gaze didn''t lift to Harry''s. His question seemed to stir something within her. A memory she longed to forget, yet was desperate to hold onto.


    After a few moments, Harry began to get nervous, fearing he had upset his companion, "Hey, um, Six?"


    His voice seemed to startle out of whatever memory she was lost in. She looked up at him with a blank expression, one with even less emotion than usual. He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously.


    "Sorry¡­ You don''t have to answer if you don''t want to."


    She looked at him for a few seconds, before sighing in resignation, returning to defeathering their kill, "It''s fine. An old¡­ friend showed me how. She showed me a lot of things¡­" Six trailed off again, but refused to get lost in another memory.


    "And what happened to her?" he asked. He regretted it almost immediately, from the angry look she gave him. He raised his arms in surrender, as she angrily plucked out another feather.


    She pulled out a few more before responding, in a voice almost too quiet to be heard, "She got caught."


    Nothing more needed to be said on the topic. Harry could guess what getting caught entailed, given his past experiences with such a thing. And he didn''t just mean Dudley.


    Harry gave her some time to regain her composure. It may not have seemed like she was upset, but Harry could tell the remembrance caused her a fair amount of pain.


    "Is there anything I can do to help?" he eventually asked. She looked at him again, thankful he didn''t press the issue.


    "Actually, there is. I need something sharp to cut this with. Can you look around to see if there''s anything I could use?" she asked. While it was true she needed some kind of cutting instrument, she also wanted to be alone for a bit, even if it was for just a few minutes. This was just a convenient way to kill two birds with one cage.


    "Sure, I''ll see what I can find," he said, getting up from his seat on the cage. He looked around, deciding where to look first. Thinking it over, he should leave the top for last. No need to waste the energy if he found something down here.


    He headed to the other side of the room, and began the search underneath the platform. There were several grimy, raggedy sheets piled up in a corner. With a grimace, he removed them one by one, until there was nothing left.


    Underneath it all was a barren floor. That was a bust.


    Next, he made his way over to some wooden crates nearby. He had no idea how they got here, as it should have been impossible, but now wasn''t the time to question how this crazy world works. Actually, Harry wasn''t sure there was a time. No matter when he did it, he was sure to be driven to the brink of insanity.


    Shaking those thoughts from his head, Harry jumped up, grabbing the crate''s ledge and pulling himself up so he could peer inside. Thankfully it didn''t have a lid, so it was easy for him to do so. Using his handy dandy flashlight when it was too hard to see, revealed a startling amount of nothing.


    He was now 0/2. He quickly checked the rest of the boxes, only to meet a similar disappointment. Sighing, he looked around, only to find that there was nothing else to check.


    Guess that means he had to search the second floor after all.


    He was just thankful there was no monster chasing him this time, so he could take his time and not get any more splinters. His hands were in poor enough shape as it was, and his feet were even worse.


    As he made it up to the top, he took in his surroundings. Over by the vent he spotted earlier was a dilapidated dresser, similar to the one he had to dismantle in the room he arrived in, with a cardboard box on top.


    Over to his left was another pile of rags, and in the corner was a pile of wood that appeared to once have been a chair. There wasn''t much up here either, unfortunately, and nothing that said sharp object yet. Hopefully he would find something in this room, and he wouldn''t have to look elsewhere.


    He started with the rags, but like the pile down below, revealed nothing of value. But at least these ones were cleaner than the ones underneath him, so he took this time to try and clean some of the bird''s fluids off of him.


    Unfortunately, a lot of it had dried by this point, but the simple action of doing it made him feel better, even if it was only psychologically.


    He made his way to the pile of broken lumber in the corner next. But sifting through the debris proved to be a fruitless endeavor as well. Nothing but scrap wood.


    That just leaves the dresser. Making his way toward it, he gazed impassively at the needlessly tall thing. Seriously, why was everything so big? Or was he just that small?


    Didn''t matter, and griping about it wouldn''t help him in the slightest. It would only prove to stoke his ire, which would likely lead to him making a mistake. And mistakes could prove to be fatal in this world.


    Harry first attempted to open the bottom drawer, not only to check its contents, but to also allow him to climb to the top. Like the dresser before it, it was difficult to open, though not quite as hard.


    As he opened it, several moths flew out from inside, startling him. He watched as they danced in the sky, flying off out of sight. Harry held his chest, hoping to keep his rapidly beating heart inside. He was just thankful it wasn''t another giant one. Fingers crossed they wouldn''t grow that big as well. One of those things was more than enough.


    But now he could properly look inside. Unfortunately, it didn''t look like there was anything useful, at least not at the moment. Just a bunch of holey clothes, and none in his size. He even looked underneath them, but nothing.


    Sighing, in disappointment, Harry tried to open the second drawer, only for it to stay firmly shut. No matter how hard he yanked and pulled, it remained stubbornly in place. Giving up with a frustrated huff, Harry took a moment to catch his breath.


    With that avenue closed, he had little choice but to climb to the top. From this angle, he wouldn''t be able to get a good enough grip to open the third drawer.


    So that''s what he did. He squatted down before leaping to the top, grabbing the edge and hauling himself up. Now that he was up here, he might as well check the box. Maybe he would get lucky.


    Or not. Looking inside, he was surprised to see a bowling ball of all things. Why was this thing here? Did monsters like to bowl? Harry didn''t know the answer, and even if he did, it likely wouldn''t help him. Best to not think about it.


    But now, he had no other choice but to check the last drawer. He made his way back to the ledge, grimacing at the feeling of the dresser top. Why was it sticky? Just another thing it was best not to think about.


    Harry got down onto his belly, and grabbed ahold of the top of the drawer. Thankfully, it was open just enough to slide his tiny finger into. With that, he could use his forearms like a crowbar and open it.


    It seems he finally caught a lucky break, as the drawer slid open fairly easily. The easiest one so far in fact. And his luck didn''t end there, as a beer bottle rolled to the end of the drawer.


    Always the last place you looked.


    While it wasn''t exactly what he was looking for, seeing it did give Harry an idea. While it wasn''t sharp at the moment, he knew for a fact that broken glass could very easily cut you. He learned that lesson personally, as the scar on his could attest.


    All he needed to do now was break it. But how to do that? Throwing it off the top of the dresser was unlikely to produce results. Bottles like that tended to be pretty thick, and it took a surprising amount of force to shatter them.


    He could throw it off the platform onto the bottom floor. While he was sure that would break it, having a bunch of glass they could step on wasn''t ideal either. One scar on his foot was enough, thank you very much.


    But what else could he do? Harry pondered this, even as he grabbed the bottle from the drawer. A bottle that was nearly the same size as him, so it took a bit of effort. Setting it down on the sticky dresser top, he looked around once more for any kind of idea.


    And that''s when his gaze fell on the box. The box containing a bowling ball. Yes, that should do nicely.


    Harry grabbed the bottle once more and moved to the edge of the dresser, the left side this time, rather than the front. He tossed the bottle down, and like he thought, it refused to break. And worse, it rolled away from where he wanted it.


    With another sigh of resignation, one laced with irritation born from weariness. He glared at the offending object as it came to a stop, seemingly mocking him. He would have his revenge soon enough.


    Six looked up to the platform above her, listening as her companion cursed about something. She wasn''t sure kids their age should be using that kind of language, but she wouldn''t judge him for it.


    Harry grunted from the jarring impact as he jumped down to the ground. Maybe he should have just climbed down the front, it would have been easier on the knees. Oh well, too late now.


    Harry grabbed the offending object once more and placed it right where he wanted it. "Good, now stay," he commanded with a firm nod. Satisfied that it wouldn''t move again, Harry made his way back to the top of the dresser, ready to carry out the bottle''s execution.


    Staring at the cardboard box, Harry took a moment to contemplate how he would remove the bowling ball. He could try to just flip the box over, but if the bowling ball got away from him, he definitely wouldn''t be able to bring it back up. Especially if it fell to the floor below.


    His best bet would be to rip a side of the cardboard off, and roll it out. Nodding his head at the plan, he proceeded to do just that. Thankfully, not only was he ripping up cardboard, which was easy enough, it was also fairly rotten, making it even easier. In no time, he had his instrument of violence.


    With an eager grin, Harry rolled the bowling ball into position. It might not have been entirely appropriate given the situation, but what boy wouldn''t be excited to break something?


    He gave one last look at the intact bottle below, shifting the ball into position, before he rolled it off. He held his breath for a moment as the ball descended toward his target, before it struck it dead center. Harry had a wide smile on his face at the wanton destruction. There was just something satisfying about it.


    But of course, Harry''s luck seemed to be attached to a pendulum. Hiss good luck in finding something they could use to cut the meat had to be balanced by something. He figured being chased by monstrous creatures would have been enough, but apparently, he was mistaken.


    The ball below did the exact thing he was worried about, it started to roll. He watched as it headed straight for the edge of the platform. There was nothing he could do at this point, it was moving too fast. All he could do was shout a warning down to Six, and hope she wasn''t beneath it.


    "Six! Watch out!"


    Looking up towards the shout, Six''s eyes widened as she watched a bowling ball roll off the platform almost nonchalantly. It fell straight down and embedded itself into the semi rotten wood floor.


    The red eyed girl flinched as tiny splinters flew in every direction. She was just glad she was far enough away that none of them hit her. Looking at the spot of impact, she could see sharp, jagged pieces of wood sticking out in every direction with the top of the bowling ball barely visible.


    "Six, you ok!?" yelled Harry from above. She leveled a glare at the boy, who was staring down at her on his belly. She wasn''t only upset by the fact that he could have squished her, but also for the fact that he was shouting. That was never a good idea.


    Perhaps it didn''t matter, considering the loud bang the ball made on impact, but it still wasn''t a good habit to get into. It seems she would need to teach him the finer points of survival if he was going to last.


    "I''m fine. What are you doing up there?" she asked in a much quieter voice. It was plenty loud enough to be heard, and that was all that was necessary. Anything else would only prove a detriment.


    Harry looked relieved as she responded. He was worried for a second there. "Thank goodness. I found a glass bottle and had to break it. You think that will work to cut the meat?" he asked in a much lowered tone.


    Perhaps Six was wrong and he was only shouting due to concern over her. She wasn''t sure how to feel about that. Her chest felt warm and tight at the thought. It was uncomfortable, yet she didn''t want to let the sensation go.


    Just what was it?


    She shook those thoughts out of her head. Now wasn''t the time for such things, she still had stuff to do. What was he saying again, something about glass?


    Oh right, she needed something to cut the meat. "That should be fine," she said. That explains the sound of breaking glass and the rather loud thump she heard as well. He must have used the bowling ball to break the bottle. Not the worst idea she''s ever heard, but making that much noise just made her feel all itchy.


    "Ok, I''ll be down in a minute," he told her. She watched as his messy head of hair disappeared. His timing couldn''t be better, she was nearly done preparing the carcass. Now she just had to hope it tasted ok, but she wasn''t all that hopeful.


    Harry made his way back to the pile of broken glass and began to sift through the debris. Most of it wasn''t useful, but he did manage to find a few pieces that should work, including one that was nice and long, nearly the size of an actual carving knife.


    Or at least, in comparison to his body size. He was still getting used to how everything here seemed to be confused about how big it wanted to be. Regardless, he had a few pieces that should satisfy his companion.


    Grabbing them, he made sure to handle them gingerly, not wanting to slice open his hand. Thinking about it, that would be a bigger problem for Six wouldn''t it? She was the one who had to use them after all.


    But what could he do?


    Looking around, he got an idea when he spotted the open drawer. He made his way over to it and began looking through the clothes that were far too big for him. He was still a bit salty about that.


    "Aha," he whispered as he found something that should work. A pair of shorts with pockets. She could slip the piece of glass into the pocket and use it as a handle. Hopefully, that would help prevent her from hurting herself. That was the last thing he wanted or they needed.


    They were beaten up enough, thank you very much.


    Nodding to himself, he made his way back to the makeshift ladder and carefully climbed down. There was no reason to speed his way down and every reason to be cautious. He didn''t want to break the glass he was carrying or even worse, land on them. So he traveled at a sedate pace.


    Reaching the bottom, he walked back to Six, who was just finishing up removing the feather and fluff from the body. Or at least, half of it. He gave her a confused look as hse seemed to be finished. "You''re not removing it all?" he asked.


    She gave him a look that made him feel a bit simple. "There''s no point. We can''t eat it all or take it with us without it spoiling. Unless you can do something about that?" she asked, giving him a pointed stare.


    Harry raised his eyebrow, wondering what she meant by that. "Uh, not that I know of," he said. She continued to stare at him for a moment, before seeming to accept his words.


    "Then we don''t need to cut it all up. Speaking of, you mentioned something about glass," she said. It was Harry''s turn to stare at her, but she just met his gaze unflinching. The air seemed thick, and a tension seemed to build up between them.


    "Six¡­ Is everything ok?" he asked, but that only seemed to make the tension even thicker. Harry didn''t like the feeling, and he couldn''t figure out what was wrong. She just stared at him, and he could see the questions dancing in her eyes, but she never gave voice to them.


    "If it''s about earlier, I''m sorry. The bowling ball just got away from me," he said, thinking that was what had her so mad. She looked confused for a second, before her stare turned into a glare.


    He just made it worse didn''t he?


    "That''s not it," she said, in a terse, abrupt manner.


    "Then what is it?" he asked.


    She regarded him for a moment, before sighing. She wasn''t sure how to ask about the powers without it sounding like some kind of accusation. She lacked the social grace to do so. Her only option was to ask and explain any misunderstandings as they came.


    "When we were running from the monster, you did something. You used some kind of power to throw me," she said. Harry looked confused for a moment, before a flash of recognition lit up his eyes. And with that recognition came a bout of nervousness.


    This was exactly what she was trying to avoid.


    "Oh that¡­ I completely forgot about that with the whole, you know, getting eaten thing," he said. When it seemed like she wouldn''t let up, he sighed before taking a seat of his own, leaning back against the cage and carefully setting the glass down.


    "So¡­ what do you want to know?" he asked.


    She gave him a look before nodding, happy that he wasn''t trying to avoid the subject. That would make things far easier in the long run.


    "First, what was it?" she asked. She watched as he stared into his hands, seemingly lost in thought. She had no problem waiting for him to answer, as long as he did answer, that was fine. They had time.


    Eventually he seemed to find the words to begin, "Honestly, I''m not too sure myself. If I had to make a guess or just give it a name, I''d call it magic."


    Six raised her own eyebrow at that. Magic? She supposed it fit. It wasn''t like that was the first time she''s ever seen something strange or extraordinary. Honestly, half the weird things she saw here could be called magic.


    "I see. How long have you been able to use it?" she asked next.


    Harry gave her a surprised look, "You believe me?"


    She nodded her head in response, "I''ve seen enough in this house alone to believe something as simple as magic. Some of the monsters here can use weird powers as well."


    Now that really grabbed his attention, "Really?"


    "Really," she stated simply. When it seemed like that wasn''t enough, she huffed and began to explain. Wasn''t he the one who was supposed to answer her questions?


    Well whatever.


    "The one in charge here, the one we call The Pretender, can use some kind of magic as well. Or so I''ve heard. She can make things just disappear. Then there''s The Butler. He has some kind of psychic power. He can lift things with his mind. He mostly uses it to do his chores around the house, but if he catches you¡­."


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    She left that hanging, but Harry got the jist of it. He didn''t need the nightmare fuel of what someone with psychic powers could do to you if you were caught. It was good information nonetheless.


    "Your turn," Six stated, bringing Harry out of his thoughts.


    "Huh?" he asked, confused.


    Six rolled her eyes before asking her question again, "How long have you had them?"


    "Oh," he said, remembering her question now. "Forever I think. The earliest I remember using them was when I was four and my aunt cut my hair. It was awful, and I hated the thought of going to school the next day looking like I got into a fight with a lawnmower and lost."


    "So you would have been fine with it if you looked like you won the fight?" Six asked with a small smirk.


    Harry gave her a surprised look from her teasing, but chuckled at the gibe, "Of course. That would have been something to brag about."


    They looked at each other with mirth dancing in their eyes, the previous tension completely evaporating. Harry was immensely relieved that she didn''t seem to think any less of him for his power.


    "Anyway, when I woke up the next day, my hair was completely back to normal. You couldn''t even tell the difference. They weren''t very happy about that¡­" Harry trailed off, becoming silent. His eyes seemed to stare at something far away, something that only he could see.


    Six seemed to realize something had changed, as the amusement in her eyes was replaced with concern. "Hairy¡­" she said with a hint of trepidation. This was a few miles past her comfort zone.


    "Hmm?" he responded, his thousand yard stare never wavering. She watched as his mouth seemed to twitch every so often, and he flinched at sounds that weren''t there. She needed to bring him back from wherever he wandered off to.


    So, going against every instinct in her body, she moved closer to him, which was somewhat difficult considering she had a massive bird in her lap, and clapped loudly in front of his face.


    That seemed to snap him out of whatever memory held him hostage.


    "Six?" he said with confusion, as if he was surprised to find her there. Looking around, he seemed to remember where he was, clenching his fists as his whole body tensed up.


    "Are you back?" she asked, eyes never leaving his form. She watched as he seemed to wrestle with himself, his body trembling like he was out in a blizzard.


    "Y-yeah, sorry," he mumbled. It was more than clear to Six that he was not ok, but it also seemed like he didn''t want to talk about it. She couldn''t exactly fault him for that, considering she had her own memories she would like to keep under lock and key.


    So she didn''t push him. Instead, she simply took a seat next to him, resting her own back against the cage, and waited for him to settle down. It took a few minutes before he finally managed to release the tension.


    Even so, they remained sitting there in silence, neither knowing what to say. Harry was grateful for her being there, her presence comforting him. It made him feel¡­ well he didn''t know what he was feeling, but he knew he liked it.


    "That morning, when they saw my hair had regrown, they were¡­ displeased," Harry started. Six turned to look at him, seeing him staring at nothing in particular. But it wasn''t because he was trapped within a memory this time, it just made it easier for him to tell the story.


    Good, she was worried she would have to slap him if he got lost again.


    "My uncle in particular hated anything that was even remotely abnormal. He thought my haircut was hilarious, said it was how a freak should look. So when I came out of my cupboard, he was angry. His whole face turned a shade of red I''ve only ever seen on a tomato."


    Harry then drew his knees to his chest. Six knew he was about to say something rather unpleasant, but she didn''t have it in her to stop it. She could tell he needed to get it off his chest.


    "He grabbed me by my newly regrown hair, and dragged me to the couch. He then ripped my shirt off and told me to keep my hands on the back, don''t move. I didn''t. I heard him remove his belt. He said this is what freaks deserve, and then he¡­ he didn''t stop. No matter how much I screamed, he just kept going. Over and over again, until my back was covered in red. I never made it to school that day."


    By this point the trembling was back, and Harry was doing everything in his power to calm himself down. But no matter what he did, neither the shaking nor the tears would stop. He hated it, hated feeling so weak due to what those people did to him.


    Six was way out of her depth. If she thought she was out of her comfort zone before, well she just found a whole new area code. What was she supposed to do now? Did she hug him? Hold his hand? Do nothing at all?


    She wasn''t sure she was ready for hugs just yet. Sure, they were pretty close while running from the bird, but that situation was completely different. And he was the one who grabbed her! Not to mention the dried bird saliva all over him. No, hugs would be postponed until he got a bath, and even then, she wasn''t sure about it.


    She could hold his hand, that wasn''t so bad last time. Actually, it was somewhat pleasant, but she still wasn''t sure about it.


    She quietly screamed in her head as she couldn''t decide what to do, until it was too late. She heard him sniffle and wipe his nose on his shirt, the one that was way too big for him. He finally seemed to calm himself down.


    That was a good thing, so why did she feel so disappointed?


    "Sorry you had to see me like that," Harry said. He was embarrassed by showing that side of himself to someone he barely knew. He''d never done that before, but for some reason, he felt safe around her. He couldn''t explain it.


    "It''s fine, don''t worry about it," she responded. What else could she say?


    "Anyway, since then I''ve only ever used my power in this world. The first time was in a castle. I teleported to safety when this monster I call The Leecher, dropped me into a moat to feed its young," he told her.


    Six shivered at the thought of being dropped into a mass of writhing leeches. Those things are just nasty. Him being able to teleport was far more interesting, but she couldn''t figure out what hair growth had in common with that skill. Or could magic do whatever he wanted it to do?


    "Weird power set," she commented, causing him to snicker.


    "I guess you could say that," he said, eyes once more filled with a bit of mirth, no matter how red they were from crying.


    "What about you?" he asked.


    She raised an eyebrow in confusion, "What about me?"


    "Any weird powers?" he asked.


    She looked at him for a moment unsure of how to respond. She''s been told she was unnaturally quick on her feet, agile like a cat. It didn''t seem to help her much on the bridge in the other room, even though she seemed to have it easier than her companion. But that could be chalked up to experience.


    "I don''t know," she said after a minute of thinking.


    Harry couldn''t lie, he was a bit disappointed by that. He was hoping to have found someone like himself. Not that he thought any less of her for it, but still¡­


    "If it''s not too personal, mind telling me how you got here? I came in a hot air balloon," Harry told her. She gave him a look that said, "Really?" He shrugged in response, looking a bit sheepish.


    "I don''t really remember. All I can remember is a man. Or no, not really a man, but it had a man''s voice. It was so deep, and it sounded like there were a thousand voices speaking at once," Six said. Harry''s eyes widened in shock.


    "Hang on, was he wearing a fisherman''s hat and jacket, with saggy gray skin melted down to his waist?" Harry asked. Now it was Six''s turn to look surprised.


    "How did you¡­ You''ve seen him too?" she asked.


    "The Ferryman¡­ Yeah, he''s the one who brought me here. He followed me in my dreams for months," Harry told her.


    That revelation opened up a whole new can of worms. If it was true that the same creature brought them both here, that would mean there had to be a reason. It couldn''t just be for its amusement could it?


    And did that mean every kid was brought here the same way? Was her old friend brought here the same way? Six couldn''t remember ever asking her, but if she was¡­


    Harry wasn''t sure what to make of it either. He just figured it was his own personal monster, but it turns out he was a two timer. The nerve.


    But what was the reason? What was the common denominator? Harry just assumed it was because of his powers, but if Six really didn''t have any, then he had no idea. Unless she just never used them before, even by accident, but in this land of nightmares, that seemed unlikely.


    Or maybe they were sealed? Placed behind a mental cage with lock and key. Harry wasn''t sure if such a thing was even possible, but considering where he was at the moment, he couldn''t dismiss the thought outright.


    "So there''s one person, or one thing, that brings kids into a nightmare? Why?" Harry asked. Six wished she had an answer, but she didn''t. It was just one more mystery to solve.


    Come to think of it, weren''t there pictures of him in this place? She''s pretty sure she''s seen him somewhere before, but she wasn''t entirely certain.


    "I don''t know," she responded to him.


    "Could it have something to do with where we were before?" Harry postulated. Six gave him a look, a feeling of trepidation gnawing at her insides.


    "What do you mean?" she asked back.


    "Before coming here, I lived with my relatives. And I think you know they didn''t like me very much," Harry started, as Six nodded in agreement. Judging from his earlier story, if they did like him, then they were weirder than anything she''s seen in this place.


    "The Ferryman¡­ He made me an offer. Gave me a choice. I could either stay with my relatives, or¡­"


    "Or you could come here," Six finished, as Harry nodded in confirmation. So he chose to come here willingly? Six couldn''t imagine ever doing that. But she wasn''t as sure about that as she would like to be. Especially if she came from somewhere similar.


    "What about you? Did you choose to come here?" Harry asked. Six wanted to deny that, tell him that she would never come to this place. But she couldn''t. A niggling sensation in the back of her head prevented that.


    "I¡­ don''t know," she said in a whisper. "I can''t remember."


    Harry gave her a confused look, "You can''t remember?" How could she not remember? The memory was still pretty fresh in Harry''s mind. Which made sense, considering it was just a couple days ago.


    Six shook her head in the negative, answering Hary''s question. She stared off into the distance, focusing on a knot in the wall, her expression blank. She tried to remember anything that would make her choose this place over somewhere else, but she couldn''t.


    What could have been so bad that she would willingly come here? Choose this horrible, blood stained world over the other? She couldn''t remember, and maybe that was for the best.


    But though she couldn''t recall her life in the old world, she could remember her time in this one. While trying to remember something of her old life, a different memory surfaced, one of her deceased friend.


    They were in a room much like this one, having a similar conversation as well. She asked her about her life before here, and her friend told her she didn''t remember. But that wasn''t the interesting part. No, what was interesting, was the reason why.


    She turned back to Harry, who was giving her a concerned look. A familiar warmth entered her chest at the look, but she pushed it down. Now wasn''t the time for that.


    "You remember asking about my friend?" Six asked, and Harry nodded in confirmation. It wasn''t that long ago after all.


    "Yeah, what about her?"


    Six seemed to gather her thoughts before she spoke, "We had a conversation like this one. I asked her the same thing, about her life before here, but she didn''t remember either."


    Harry''s eyebrows raised that. "So, it''s not just you?"


    She shook her head, "No. I think it happens to everyone. We forget. Or this world takes it away. That''s what she thought anyway."


    The two of them sat in silence once more, pondering that revelation. It was a scary thought, losing your memories. Memories are what made you, you. Without them, you might as well be someone completely different.


    All around them, shadows moved and danced across the wall, encroaching on the two of them. Everything seemed to get a touch darker, a touch colder. Like the world itself was mocking them.


    Looking over at his companion, he could see the same worry deep in her eyes. The same fear of losing the thing that made her, her. Maybe he could do something about it. Whenever he was scared before, no one ever tried to help. He was just left alone in the darkness of his cupboard.


    He wouldn''t leave her alone. The shadows would not take her.


    "Hey, Six," Harry said, getting her attention. She turned to him and was surprised to see him looking at her with kind eyes. He reached out to her, offering his hand.


    She looked at it conflicted, before tentatively reaching out. Slowly, her hand found its way in his, and the world around them seemed to get a bit brighter, a bit warmer. The shadows retreated as if they were burned, hiding away in cracks and corners unseen.


    "If this world wants to take our memories, we''ll just have to make more than it can take. I don''t know who or what or why, but something wants us here. And whatever it is, whatever it wants, we can''t let it take away what it means to be us. So what do you say? Want to make some memories with me?" he asked.


    She gazed into his eyes, his vibrant emerald eyes, and saw no sign of deceit. No lie to be found. He meant everything he said. That familiar warmth was there again, only this time it was nearly scalding. Just what was this feeling?


    But she didn''t have time to contemplate it any longer. Hairy was waiting for her to answer. And she felt there was only one answer she could give.


    "I think I''d like that Hairy."


    Harry''s smile was beaming at this point, and even Six had a small sincere smile on her face. It wasn''t big, but it made Harry overjoyed that he was the reason for it. Just getting that much emotion out of her felt like pulling teeth.


    The two of them sat in companionable silence for a bit, before a loud growl ruined the moment. Looking for the source, the two of them discovered it was coming from none other than Harry''s stomach.


    Looking back at her, Harry gave a sheepish smile as she looked at him with amusement. "Oh right, we were making dinner weren''t we?"


    Six rolled her eyes, but the mirth never left them, "Yes, and didn''t you bring me something?"


    His eyes lit up at the reminder, "Oh yeah!"


    He let go of her hand, something she didn''t want to admit left her feeling a bit empty. Harry quickly grabbed the glass before turning back around to face her. "I got these. I hope they''ll work."


    Six inspected the glass shards in his hand. It would be difficult, but they should work. She would just have to be careful not to leave any glass in the meat. That was the last thing they needed.


    "They should. But what are the shorts for?" she asked, staring at the offending object.


    "Oh, I thought you could use them as a handle. Like this, see?" he said, before placing the largest glass shard into one of the pockets, leaving it half exposed and wrapping the remaining cloth around it.


    "Good idea," she acquiesced. It should help prevent her from cutting herself, something she would rather avoid. Accepting the makeshift knife, Six stood up, followed by Harry.


    "Ok, while I prepare the meat, can you get the stuff we need for the fire?" she asked. Harry nodded. That was simple enough, he already knew where a bunch of wood was, but there was one problem.


    "How are we supposed to light it?" he asked. Six reached into her pocket and pulled out a small lighter.


    "Ah, that''ll do it," he said. Six rolled her eyes again, with a slight grin on her face, as she turned to complete her task. Stretching his arms out, Harry did the same.


    "Hey, Hairy," Six said before he could get too far. He turned back around and gave her an inquisitive look. "Yeah?"


    She hesitated for a moment, before asking him another question that was bothering her. Probably the one that was bothering her the most. "Your power¡­ Why did you use it to save me and not yourself?"


    Harry gave her a confused look, before understanding flashed in his eyes. The reason? He wasn''t sure, not really. Maybe he just didn''t want to be alone anymore and figured dying was better than that.


    No, there was more to it than that. The real reason? It was simple when he thought about it. He wondered earlier what Six was to him. Seems like they would both be getting an answer.


    "Because you''re my friend."


    He gave her one last smile before heading off to complete his task, never noticing the surprised look on his friend''s face.


    His first stop was to gather all the nasty cloth on the bottom floor, figuring that would make for good starter fuel. Next, he tried to remove some of the wood planks from the wooden crates. Thankfully he was able to pull them off fairly easily, as the wood was the exact opposite of dense. It also broke off into pieces of various sizes, which was good. He collected them in a pile near the cage.


    After that, he climbed back up to the second floor, before throwing the pieces of wood down, making sure they weren''t anywhere near Six. This wood felt quite a bit heavier and denser, so it would probably be added after the fire was already going.


    His next stop was the dresser. He climbed back up and gathered the cardboard box, tossing it down like the rest. That would definitely make good starter fuel.


    Now, was there anything else? Looking around, he didn''t see any more wood, which was a shame, but he did see wallpaper. While it wouldn''t help keep the fire going, it was just what the doctor ordered to get it started.


    After that, he made his way down and started to build the fire. He placed the wallpaper down first, crumbled into little balls, and placed the cardboard on top after tearing it into strips. Then he grabbed the thin wood planks and placed the smallest pieces on top of the cardboard.


    The last thing he did was take rolled up strips of cloth and nestle them in between the wood planks. If everything went to plan, it should start fairly easy. But just in case, he saved some wallpaper and cardboard.


    With his task done, his gaze fell on Six. She had managed to get a few strips cut out, but it was clear it was a struggle to do so. While glass was certainly sharp enough to cut someone, and quite easily at that, it wasn''t meant to carve up something like this.


    He watched as she grunted, forcing the glass into the body, being careful not to cut herself, and sawing away as best she could at the meat. The whole ordeal left her out of breath.


    "Hey Six, do you want some help?" Harry asked. While he meant it in a kind way, Six seemed to take offense to the notion, glaring up at him.


    "Does it look like I need help?" she questioned in a gruff voice. Now, Harry wasn''t the brightest person in the world, he would freely admit that, but even he could tell he was walking on a landmine.


    "Uh, no?" he said. She continued to glare at him before huffing and returning to her work. With nothing else left to do, Harry just waited for her to finish. He couldn''t say it really bothered him, considering he could smell the flesh from here.


    He really hoped it tasted better than it smelled.


    After about thirty minutes she was done, and in desperate need of a bath, just like him. Her hands were covered in blood. Luckily she wasn''t completely coated, but it was enough to warrant a thorough cleansing.


    Six sighed as she stood, shaking her hands to try and get the feeling back into them. That was far more difficult than she thought it would be, but she was far too stubborn to quit. She should have accepted her friend''s help, but since they divided their labor, and Hairy was able to complete his job, she felt like she needed to as well.


    Not to mention eating it was her suggestion in the first place.


    Looking down at her handiwork, she managed to get six decent sized strips of flesh. They were jagged and uneven, but it was the best she could do given the circumstances. Not that the appearance of the meat mattered much.


    And no, she did not stop there just because of the number. That was just a coincidence. Now all they had to do was cook them up and dinner was served.


    "Hey, why don''t you hand me your lighter and I''lll get the fire started. You can clean some of the blood off with that cloth over there," Harry proposed. Six thought it over for a moment before nodding her head at the suggestion.


    She rummaged around her pocket before retrieving her lighter and handing it over to him. She had a small smirk on her face as he grimaced from the blood covering her hand, and now the lighter.


    As Six went to go clean herself to the best of her abilities, Harry took the lighter and made his way to the cage. He flicked the lighter on, admiring the small, flickering flame for a moment. He carefully bent down and lit the wallpaper, which took off as easily as he expected it to.


    Closing the lighter, Harry began to lightly blow on the flames. Sure enough, it didn''t take much time at all before the small pieces of wood caught fire. He let them burn for a minute before he slowly added larger and larger pieces, until he had a good sized fire.


    This was one of the few lessons Harry ever received from his uncle, and he wasn''t even meant to get it. The lesson was meant for Dudley, not him. Vernon taught Dudley how to start a fire in the fireplace because such things were, "men''s work" as he called them.


    Luckily, Harry just so happened to be in the kitchen, doing what his uncle would call "women''s work", so he was able to sit in on the lecture. He was far better than his cousin at it. When Dudley tried to start a fire, he nearly burned the house down.


    Six had returned some time ago and was just watching Harry complete his task. Once the fire was going good and proper, he closed the cage door, leaving a square grid they could cook the meat over. Six had never done it this way, and not with something so big, so she was a tad bit nervous about burning the meat.


    But then again, that might not be such a bad thing. They didn''t need any surprises popping out of it. That one time with the rat was enough. She shivered just thinking about it.


    "Well, that should do it. What do you think?" Harry asked her. She shook the memory of the parasite erupting out of a dead rat out of her mind. She looked at the fire and nodded her head. "Yeah, that should do it."


    She grabbed the pieces of meat, two at a time, and laid them across the cage. She wasn''t sure where the best place to cook them was, so she placed them in different spots. Though, none of them were directly above the flame. Now she just needed to watch them and adjust as necessary.


    The two of them worked together to cook their meal. Whenever the flame was getting too low, Harry would slide a piece of wood through one of the holes. And if he couldn''t do that, he would wrap a piece of cloth around his hand until it was good and thick, before lifting up the edge of the cage so Six could slide a piece in.


    Six meanwhile, watched the meat like a hawk, using a second shard of glass to flip and rotate the meat whenever she thought it was needed. Soon enough, they had some kind of meal in front of them.


    They couldn''t hold all of it at once, so they left a couple pieces on the edge, away from the fire. They used the glass shards to hold up the hot pieces of meat, waiting for it to cool down before they dug it.


    Harry''s stomach growled once more in anticipation. He gave Six a look, and she returned it with one that said, "you first"''.


    Rolling his eyes, Harry brought the slightly charred meat to his mouth before taking a bite. Thankfully, it was thoroughly cooked.


    "Juicy," was the first thought that popped into his head. That was a good thing, considering they had nothing to drink. The next thing he noticed was the texture. He was expecting something like chicken, considering it was a bird and all, but that was not the case. It was more like a pork chop.


    The last thing was the taste. While it wasn''t bad, it also wasn''t particularly good either. Like a mixture of bacon, bubblegum, and grease. Like it came from a fast food place that just mixed a bunch of stuff together hoping for the best.


    So that''s what revenge tasted like.


    He couldn''t say he would ever want to eat it again, but for the moment, he was content to just get something in his belly.


    Six watched him carefully, waiting for any sign of discomfort or sickness. When the only thing she noticed was the confused faces he was making as he chewed, she relaxed a bit.


    He gave Six a nod when he noticed her looking at him. Seeing that he wasn''t going to give her more than that, she rolled her eyes before taking a bite. Now it was Harry''s turn to be amused by her own expression. Nothing could really prepare you for that first bite.


    "Well, I don''t know if I''d call this good, but at least it seems edible," he said, taking another bite. Six nodded her head in agreement, "That''s all you can really ask for."


    The two ate in silence for a while, simply enjoying the odd food and each other''s company. When they went for seconds, Harry asked a question that''s been bugging him for awhile.


    "So Six, where are we exactly? What is this place?"


    She turned to him as she took a bite from her second piece. After swallowing, she answered his question, "It''s called the Nest. Why, I don''t know. It''s a massive mansion on top of a cliff in the middle of the ocean."


    She gave him a moment to digest that information as she took another bite.


    "I see. And how long have you been here?" he asked next. Six took a moment to think about it. How long has she been here?


    "Hm¡­ months. I''m not sure how many exactly," she said.


    "My guess is six," Harry said with a cheeky grin. She just rolled her eyes at him.


    "Have you tried to escape?" was his next question.


    That made her sigh, "Easier said than done. You can''t just walk out the front door, everyone who''s tried that got caught. Jumping out the windows doesn''t work either. The only way is a secret passage in the basement, but that presents its own problems."


    "How come?"


    "First off, nobody is sure where it is. Only one person has ever seen it and she''s not around anymore," Six explained with a bit of pain in her voice. Harry imagined it must have been her friend she mentioned.


    "And even if you do know where it is, you can''t open it. It needs some kind of keys. And third, the basement is where the Craftsman lives. No one''s exactly eager to enter his domain."


    A foreboding silence fell over the duo. The only sound was the crackle of the dying fire.


    "Well, if we can''t escape, maybe we should just get rid of them and take over," Harry suggested. It was mostly in jest, but if that was the only way, he was willing to try.


    Six snorted at the suggestion, "You''re not the only one to suggest that. You''re also not the only one with powers." The Pretender and The Butler were the ones she knew about. Who knows what else may be lurking in the shadows.


    The warning was loud and clear. The chances of them succeeding was slim to none. So if that was the case, they would just have to find those keys then.


    "Well if we can''t beat em, then we need to find those keys. Any idea what they look like?" he asked.


    "I can''t be sure. No one''s ever seen one. But supposedly they take the shape of an eye."


    "An eye huh?" Harry thought to himself. Why did that sound familiar? It took him a moment to remember. The attic! It was right before he was attacked by the giant moth. He found something shaped like an eye made of bronze.


    Harry quickly dug around his pockets, as Six looked on in confusion. He finally found what he was looking for, thanking whatever deity existed that he didn''t lose it inside of a giant bird. He held the thing out to Six, eyes sparkling in triumph.


    "Is this one of the keys, do you think?"


    Six stared at the object in his hand with a sense of wonder. Could it really be¡­ After all this time, her new friend just so happens to find one? On his first day here? Six wasn''t sure if she should be happy or annoyed by that fact.


    But if it was in the attic, something else that no one has ever found, then it would make sense. But she''s been looking for so long, she was almost ready to give up. And now, here one is, hand delivered. She could almost cry.


    Almost.


    "It looks like it would fit, based on what I was told, but I can''t be sure. We''d have to find the exit first," she said. Looking at the shiny, beat up object in his hand, Six couldn''t stop the emotion that sprang from her chest. It was one she had long thought abandoned, yet here it is again.


    Hope.


    "That makes sense. And there''s no point in looking for that until we''ve found the other one," Harry said, while rubbing his unruly hair. Six nodded in agreement. She didn''t want to find the door only to have to backtrack to find the key and then find the door again. She wanted to spend the least amount of time she could in the basement. That place was where the real nightmares were born.


    "Hey, Hairy¡­" Six said, never taking her eyes off the object in his hand.


    "Yeah?"


    "Would you mind if I¡­ Could I hold it?" she asked in a small voice. She hated how desperate she sounded, but part of her still didn''t believe it was real. The hope she felt bubbling to the surface scared her more than any monster.


    Harry gave her a soft smile, "Sure. Oh, and you can have this back too," he said, giving her back her lighter.


    Six stared at the object that was now in her hand. The eye, not the lighter. Part of her couldn''t believe he would actually hand it over, that he would trust her enough with something so precious. This was the key to their freedom after all.


    Literally.


    But she was grateful nonetheless. She gingerly traced the scratches in the metal, fingers moving over every curve. She didn''t understand why this place was so obsessed with eyes. The doors, paintings, sculptures, and she couldn''t forget the security measures. Eyes seemed to be very important to someone.


    But she liked this one. Not only because it was essential for her to escape this wretched place, but she also found herself endeared to the color. It was an emerald, the exact same shade as her new friend''s eyes.


    And that was another thing she never thought she would have again. A friend. And this one brought such wonderful gifts. Perhaps her luck was finally starting to change.


    Perhaps this world wasn''t quite as rotten as she thought.

 A Visitor in the Night

    Harry gazed at Six, watching as she stared at the trinket in her hand with near reverence. He couldn''t imagine being trapped in this place for so long, that escape seemed an impossible hope. He was glad he could bring that feeling back to her.


    But now that dinner was over, Harry felt a sudden fatigue wash over him. The day''s events crashed into him, sapping whatever energy he had left. The first room with the dresser, then the moth, the birds and the bridge, and even cooking dinner. All of it seemed to be hitting him at once.


    Harry let out a loud, long yawn, stretching his whole body out, feeling the day''s stress in every muscle. That probably wasn''t good for his health.


    Six watched this happen, a hint of amusement at seeing his sleepy face drooping down with weariness. Not that she could blame him. She herself was feeling rather tired as well. Maybe not as much as her friend, considering everything he went through today, but enough to desire a bed.


    "Sleepy?" she questioned, looking at him.


    "Mhm," he mumbled, much to her further amusement. His head bobbed up and down in a jerky motion, almost like he was falling asleep and waking up at the same time. She wasn''t sure what time it actually was, but there was no harm in finding a spot to rest.


    She stood up, wiping the remains of her food on a dirty cloth. She grimaced at the feeling of it, but it was better than wiping it off on her own clothes. She turned her gaze toward Harry, "Alright, get up."


    He looked at her for a moment, a petulant expression adorning his face. She almost thought he would argue with her, but thankfully, he stood up. He stumbled a bit in his tired state, but he managed well enough.


    She looked at him for a moment, then down to the key in her hand. The key that was a third of the puzzle to escaping. With reluctance, she offered it back to him, "Here."


    Harry stared at the object being offered to him, before reaching his hand out, and wrapping Six''s own around it. She seemed shocked as he gently pushed it back towards her, eyes filled with confusion.


    "I¡­ But why?" she asked. Harry gave her another small smile, "It seems to mean a lot to you, so you keep it."


    Six wasn''t sure what to say, even as she cradled the object to her chest. She was overwhelmed by an emotion she couldn''t recognize, and one she couldn''t name. Grateful? No that wasn''t it. She knew what that felt like.


    Whatever it was, it was nice. She''s been feeling a lot of emotions like that recently, all thanks to a certain someone. She hasn''t felt anything like this since she lost her friend. And even then, it was different.


    There wasn''t any more time to ponder this, as Harry looked dead on his feet. So instead, she pushed it down and entered survival mode. She was far more comfortable with that.


    But not before she let him know she appreciated the gesture. "Thank you," she said in a small, but sincere voice. Harry gave her a nod, "No problem."


    Now with that out of the way, it was time to get down to business. She carefully placed the item in her pocket, thankful that it was just big enough to hold it securely.


    "Alright, we need to find somewhere to sleep, " she stated, before looking around at the room. She frowned when she saw there appeared to be no good place to hide away. She suddenly missed that dirty old teddy bear she used last night.


    Harry gave her a confused glance, "What''s wrong with right here?" he asked. Besides the fact there was a dead body in the middle of the floor, and blood everywhere, it seemed fine to him. They could just curl up in the corner, with some dirty rags for blankets.


    Six rolled her eyes, reminded that she needed to give him a crash course in survival. "That''s a bad idea. Sleeping out in the open is a good way to get yourself killed. We need to find somewhere we can hide, or secure," she told him.


    He pondered her words for a moment, before nodding in understanding. "Makes sense. In that case, I have an idea."


    Six raised a brow at that, but gestured for him to continue. If he had an idea, she was all for listening. That didn''t mean they would go with it, but she was willing to hear him out.


    "Upstairs, there''s a dresser with some old clothes in the bottom drawer. We could use that," he suggested. Six thought about it for a moment, before nodding her head. It wasn''t the first time she''s slept in one of those things, and she doubted it would be the last.


    And as far as places to sleep, she had to admit, it was one of the better ones. Not only did it keep you well hidden, it also tended to come with its own blankets. As far as this place was concerned, it might as well have been a five star hotel.


    "Alright, lead the way," she said. Harry gave her a nod, and made his way towards the ladder. Six followed him, but not before taking one last glance at the area. She would have liked to bar the crack in the wall with the cage, but it was too hot.


    Oh well. She would just have to hope nothing came in from that direction.


    The pair quickly climbed the makeshift ladder, and headed for the dresser. Standing in front of it, Six nodded her head in satisfaction. This would do nicely.


    They then rearranged the clothes to make it more comfortable. Thankfully, none of the apparel contained any metal, or hard objects, so it should make a fine bed. There was nothing worse than sleeping on a hard button or a zipper.


    The two of them climbed inside, before using their legs to force the drawer closed, pushing against the dresser itself. It wasn''t long before they were engulfed in darkness.


    They then proceeded to wrap themselves up in a blanket of clothes. They weren''t the most comfortable of things, being slightly rough and worn, but it was better than nothing. Soon, they were warm and toasty.


    Harry sighed in content. Not only did he have a full belly, something he didn''t know when the last time was, but he was also nice and warm. It wasn''t that long ago he was laying on a hard, uncomfortable cot in a freezing cupboard. Compared to that, this was practically a luxury.


    Sometimes, it paid to be so small.


    He turned to look at Six, only able to see the barest outline of her. But it was still a comfort to know she was there, that he wasn''t alone. He was tired of being alone.


    "Hey," he whispered, seeing a bit of movement from his voice.


    "Yeah?" she asked, wondering what he could want. She stared at his form in the dark, but like him, couldn''t make out much. Also like him, she was comforted by his presence.


    "What''s our plan for tomorrow? Any idea where the other key could be?" he asked. And wasn''t that the million dollar question. There were several places she could think of that could hide such a treasure, but no one had ever found anything there, and no one wanted to look in those places. But in order to escape, they would have to.


    "Tomorrow, we should head to The Pretender''s room. Since she''s the boss, there''s a good chance we''ll find something. If not the key, then a clue," she responded. Harry nodded, or at least that''s what it looked like to Six. It was hard to tell in the darkness.


    "Yeah, that makes sense," he said, releasing a long, drawn out yawn. Six stared at the dark blob that was Harry in amusement.


    "I think that''s enough talking for now, get some sleep," she said. Or more like, commanded. But Harry wasn''t going to argue. He was more than ready for bed.


    "Ok, goodnight Six," Harry said. She listened as his breathing steadied, falling asleep almost immediately. Not that she could blame him, she was tired herself.


    Pulling out the eye key once more, Six stared at it, gently caressing it as a smile came to her face. She looked back to her friend and reached out her hand, finding his own. She gently grabbed hold of it, as her eyes drooped downward.


    "Goodnight, Hairy."


    ***Line Break***


    Some time later, who knows when, Harry was awakened by a loud, screeching sound. Like metal grinding on metal. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he looked around in confusion for a moment, wondering where he was. That''s when the memory of the previous day came crashing into him.


    That''s right, he was in a drawer, in a hidden room, in a horrifying mansion, in an even more horrifying world. And suddenly, the sound that awoke him became a lot more terrifying.


    Feeling a strange sensation in his hand, Harry squeezed it. Whatever it was was soft and warm, and slightly familiar. He tried to pull it, but it remained stuck where it was.


    But when it squeezed him back, that''s when Harry realized exactly what it was. It was Six''s hand. That was a relief. For a second, he feared something had crawled in with them and he grabbed it in his sleep.


    "Six, did you hear something too?" he whispered. He figures she must have. After all, if it was enough to wake up Harry, then it falls to reason that it would wake her up as well.


    "Quiet. We''re not alone," she whispered back, a tab bit harsher than she intended. She wasn''t a morning person at the best of times, but that was especially true when her sleep was interrupted. Which happened far more often than she''d like.


    Listening intently, they could hear the sound of something approaching, the noise sending shivers down their spines. Six clenched the eye key so tightly her knuckles turned white, while the hairs on the back of Harry''s neck stood straight up, his whole body covered in goosebumps.


    The first thing they heard was its gasping breath, sounding like an asthmatic who just ran a marathon. Deep, shuddering, desperate breaths for air, that it couldn''t get enough of.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    As it drew closer, thick, squelching sounds pervaded the air with every step it took. But that wasn''t the only thing. Every step was followed by the sound of something being dragged.


    Step¡­


    Drag¡­


    Step¡­


    Drag¡­


    It was like it only had one good foot. Perhaps that was the sound they heard. There was no way to tell without being able to see it.


    After several agonizing seconds, they heard it come to a stop, right in front of the dresser they were currently hiding in, its anguished breathing so loud it almost rattled their teeth.


    With nothing to do, they held their breath, waiting and listening to see what it would do next. They didn''t have to wait very long. After a few of its wheezing breaths, the whole dresser seemed to shake. Squeezing each other''s hand, they offered what little comfort they could to one another. But with the shaking, came the sound of something being pulled. Harry knew what it was.


    It was the top drawer.


    Harry remembered it was left open. He didn''t think much of it, and neither had Six, but it seems to have garnered the monster''s attention. Next time, if there was one, he would remember to close all the drawers.


    As the top drawer was pulled out, small beams of light illuminated the drawer they were in, allowing for the barest minimum of sight. Then, there was a brief moment of silence, save for the desperate, needy breaths of the creature.


    It let out what sounded like an angry, breathy growl, before a loud bang nearly made them jump. Judging from the sound, it must have tossed the drawer to the ground.


    After that, it tried for the second drawer, but like Harry, it had no such luck. It stayed firmly, and stubbornly in place. Something the young boy was extremely thankful for. If it managed to pull it out, it very likely would have spotted them, then and there.


    After several seconds of rattling the thing, and subsequently them as well, it seemed to give up.


    Which was both relieving and distressing in equal measure. Relieving, because they weren''t shaking anymore, which lowered the risk of them making noise. Distressing, because it only had one more drawer to check.


    Theirs.


    Thinking fast, Six quickly placed the key in her pocket before propping her feet against the dresser itself, and her hands against the back of the drawer. It was the same position they use to close it, and now, they would use it to keep it closed.


    "Hairy¡­" she whispered, as quietly as she could. It wasn''t likely she would be heard, considering how loud the thing''s breathing was, but it never hurt to be careful.


    He looked over at her, barely able to make out her form. His eyes had adjusted to the dark somewhat, and the small light coming in from above them allowed him to see her, even if only just.


    She made a gesture, telling him to copy her. She didn''t have to tell him twice. He didn''t want whatever that was to get inside either.


    They didn''t have to wait long. The drawer began to open, ever so slowly at first. Six and Harry used what little muscle they had to push back against the creature. It seemed to be working, as the drawer halted its momentum after only an inch or so of give.


    But that was only the beginning. Almost as quickly as it began, it stopped, and for a second, one blissful moment in time, Harry thought it was over. That the monster would just give up and be on its way.


    But he was wrong.


    The drawer suddenly, without warning, surged forward with far greater force. Taken by surprise, Harry almost wasn''t able to push back, but in the last moment, managed to lock his legs in place.


    That was far too close.


    He grit his teeth hard enough to crack them, but that was of little concern. What was far more worrisome was his legs, slowly being forced to bend. If this kept up, it would only be a matter of time before they would be forced to capitulate to the much greater strength of the monster.


    His whole body trembled from the exertion. He hadn''t yet recovered from the previous day''s events, and everything ached, screaming at him in protest. It wanted him to stop, to give in, and let the inevitable happen.


    But he wouldn''t, no, he couldn''t do that. Not only because he wasn''t a quitter, but because for the first time in his life, somebody was counting on him. Somebody was relying on him.


    He wasn''t alone anymore.


    Looking over, he could see Six struggling as well, her face set in a vicious, determined scowl. Seeing her refuse to give up, to fight against the fate so determined to claim them, brought forth a new determination from somewhere deep inside. A fresh surge of strength sprang from his tired body, his legs straightening out once more, forcing the drawer to close.


    A look of surprise crossed Six''s face as she turned to look at her partner. She thought for sure the drawer was about to be forced open and they would have to figure out a way to escape. But it seems like she underestimated him. Seeing his efforts inspired her to increase her own. She wouldn''t allow herself to put in any less effort than him.


    The groaning of the wood echoed out across the room as it too struggled against the onslaught. It was old and warped, rotted in places it hadn''t been in its younger years. If something didn''t change, it would have no choice but to give in.


    And change something did. Growing frustrated, the monster began to violently jerk the drawer forward. If they thought it was a struggle before, it was nothing compared to now.


    After one hard yank, their bodies resembled an accordion, all scrunched up. It was with a herculean effort that they managed to close the gap once more.


    Panting with exhaustion, Harry turned to look at his friend once again, "How are you holding up?" he asked. She gave him a flat look, "Never better. How are you?"


    "Oh, you know¡­ Hanging in there," he responded. That was as far as the conversation went before another savage jerk squished them up again. Grunting with effort, they managed to straighten themselves out, taking what small amounts of pleasure they could from hearing the angry, frustrated groan the creature gave.


    "We can''t keep this up," Harry said, his exhausted limbs shaking uncontrollably. And Six was no better. She doesn''t remember the last time she was this tired. At this point, her limbs might as well be made of rubber.


    "I know," she responded. If the monster outside continued its violent pulling, then it would be sooner, rather than later when they were caught. They needed to think of something, but what?


    "What about your powers?" she asked, after a moment of thinking. A moment they couldn''t spare. Even now, they were slowly being forced to bend, the drawer opening bit by bit. It wouldn''t be much longer now.


    "I don''t know. Maybe," he said. He wasn''t sure what his powers could do in this situation. Maybe teleport them when the drawer inevitably opens? But that was a long shot at best, and it wasn''t something he could do at will, made even harder by the pain and exhaustion he was in.


    But that''s when a noise drew his attention. Glancing behind him, he saw something that made him pause. The wood was being forced apart, the back of the drawer separating from the sides.


    That''s it! If he could force enough power into the wood, and shatter it, they could escape out of the back while the monster removed the drawer. As long as it didn''t look underneath, they''d be fine.


    "Hey Six?"


    "Yeah?"


    "I have a plan."


    "I''m all ears."


    "Next time the monster yanks on the drawer, I''ll use my power to break the back, and we can escape that way."


    Six rolled the idea around in her mind. But she didn''t have long to think, and no alternatives came to mind. It would have to do.


    "Alright, do it," she said.


    Nodding in recognition, Harry gathered the power within him and focused it into the palms of his hand, just like when he used it to toss Six earlier. Only this time, he didn''t have to worry about hurting the person at the other end, so he didn''t need to hold back.


    After a few seconds went by, there was a sudden slack in the force of the drawer. They knew it was about to yank the drawer once more. It was now or never.


    The moment Harry felt the drawer jerk forward, he released all the energy he could, flinging the wood behind him away from the rest of the drawer. With their feet still firmly planted against the dresser, they weren''t pulled forward with it, and fell out of the back, landing on the hard ground with a grunt.


    The plan was a complete success, even more than originally expected.


    The force the monster used was so great, that not only did it remove the drawer, it also sent it hurtling backwards. With a confused and panicked wheeze, it went tumbling off the edge, plummeting to the floor below. They heard a loud crash, followed by a deafening silence. Not even the sounds of the monster''s wheezing breaths could be heard.


    That was either a very good thing, or a very bad thing.


    They lay there for several long seconds, regaining their breath. "Was that¡­ part of the plan too?" Six asked. The sound of her breathing nearly matched the monster''s with how desperate it was for air.


    "Happy coincidence," Harry said, his breathing not any better. They gave each other a look and before they knew it, they were laughing in relief. Although Six''s laugh was more like a quiet chuckle. She should be upset by all the noise they were making, but thought, just this once, it was fine.


    "You ok?" Harry asked, once the laughter subsided.


    "I think so, you?" she asked, her own muted laughter dying down.


    "Never better," he said, mimicking what she said just a minute ago, making her snort in amusement.


    Six slowly made her way to her feet, legs feeling like they were made of jello. She wobbled a bit before finding her balance. Every muscle felt like it was on fire, burning in protest at her movement. But she couldn''t afford to listen, she needed to see what became of the monster.


    Only after checking her pocket to ensure the key was still there. To her immense relief it was. She didn''t know what she would do if she had lost it so soon after finding it.


    Harry watched her get up with exasperation, knowing he needed to do the same, but desperately wanting to stay right where he was. It wasn''t like it was comfortable, in fact it was the exact opposite, but he was just so tired.


    The only times he could remember being this tired was when he was being punished for something he likely didn''t do, being forced to complete a week''s worth of chores in a single day.


    So Harry found himself slowly but surely rising to his own feet. Like his companion, they also felt like jello, and burned in angry protest.


    As he finally stood, he saw Six staring at something on the floor. Walking up to her, which was more of a challenge than he would like to admit, he gazed down at what had captured her attention.


    In front of the dresser, right where the monster had stood, was a pool of black, tar like goop. But it wasn''t just there, he could also see a trail of the mysterious substance leading from the vent in the wall.


    That must have been what woke him up.


    "Any idea what it is?" he asked. Six knelt down and gathered some onto her index finger, using it and her thumb to roll whatever it was around.


    "Whatever it is, it''s slippery, like soap, but at the same time, it feels like tree sap," she responded with a sour look on her face, before wiping the substance from her fingers using the dresser.


    "I think I''ve seen it before. In a nightmare," he said. From her description, it sounded like that gunk that was on the bridge in his dream from what seems like forever ago. He also remembered The Leecher had a similar substance drooling from his mouth.


    "Well, whatever it is, we should avoid it as best as we can," she said. Harry could agree to that easily enough, but there was one little problem with that, "That''s going to be a bit tough, considering we have to crawl through the vent."


    She frowned as she looked at the trail leading to said vent, knowing he was right. "I know, but we''ll just have to do our best."


    Harry nodded, and the two of them made their way towards the edge of the platform, carefully avoiding the black goo. Reaching the edge, they looked down to where they assumed the monster had landed, hoping to find a corpse, only to see a large hole, leading to a dark abyss.


    Coincidentally, it just so happened to be the exact spot the bowling ball from earlier landed. It must have been so weakened from the previous impact, that when the creature landed on top of it, it broke, sending it down into the depths below.


    Next to the hole was the destroyed remains of the drawer, the clothes used to make their bed scattered about the place. For some reason, the sight made him feel a bit sad, "Ah man, look what he did to our bed¡­"


    Six raised an eyebrow, giving him a disbelieving look, "That''s what you''re worried about?"


    He shrugged in response. "It was comfy, at least compared to what I normally sleep in. And I got to share it with you. It was nice."


    Six stared at him, her chest being filled with that familiar warmth again. When he puts it like that, even she felt a bit sad. And it was somewhat comfortable, at least compared to the teddy bear she slept in last night.


    And she had to admit, there was some amount of comfort knowing there was a person next to you while you slept.


    "Anyway, think it''s dead?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts. She shook them from her head, and returned her gaze to the floor below, a frown on her face.


    "We can only hope. But without a body, there''s no way of knowing for sure. Best to assume it survived. Less chance of being caught off guard that way," she said. There was a good chance it was dead, considering it landed on spikes of wood and fell who knows how far, but without proof, they should assume the worst.


    "Right. Don''t want to get caught with our pants down," he agreed. Six gave him a strange look. Noticing this, he gave her a confused look in return, "What?"


    "Nothing," she said, shaking her head. With that being said, she walked away, heading for the exit. Harry followed, trying to coax and answer out of her, but she refused to respond.


    But she did have a small smile on her face.

 New Devilry

    Harry yawned as he and Six stood in front of the opened vent. He was beyond tired at this point, having had his sleep interrupted by whatever that thing was, and as much as he would like to just curl up somewhere and pass out, that wasn''t really on the table.


    For one thing, there wasn''t anywhere safe nearby. Their only place of refuge had been destroyed, and without that, there was no place to sleep. Not safely at any rate, even if it turned out the drawer wasn''t as safe as they thought.


    But that was only because they left a drawer open. If it hadn''t been for that they would have been fine.


    Probably.


    Honestly, there was no way of knowing for sure, but Six had experience in these things that Harry did not, and that experience told her dressers were a safe place to buckle down for the night. One of the safest in fact, as last night had been the first time she''s ever had to deal with something like that.


    The other reason they couldn''t afford to sleep here was the noise they made. The monster''s loud attempts to get them, and the subsequent falling it did as a consequence of those attempts, may attract something else. So it was best they move now, while they still could.


    Harry understood these reasons, he really did, but that doesn''t mean he has to like them. His body ached and demanded rest, rest he couldn''t afford to give it, not if he wanted to stay alive.


    Six watched him yawn, trying to keep herself from doing the same. She wanted to rest as much as he did, but she knew they couldn''t do that. It was possible that nothing else would show up, but that seemed unlikely.


    They weren''t expecting that monster to show up after all, but it did. And now she was tired and grumpy. Six really hated being woken up early. If she could sleep until noon every single day, she would gladly do it.


    That, however, was a luxury she simply could not afford. Shacks and hovels were more in line with her price range.


    "You ready?" she asked, as Harry stopped yawning and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. He gave her an unconvincing nod, "Mhm."


    Good enough. With that Six entered the ventilation system, pulling out her little zippo lighter and using it to light their way. She did her best to avoid the sludge left behind by that thing, but it wasn''t easy. It was absolutely everywhere.


    There was also the fact that it could fit inside the vents in the first place. That was another cause for alarm. Normally, the vents were relatively safe, as the Residents couldn''t get inside.


    Sure The Craftsman could reach inside with his long arms and The Butler could use his powers to grab them, but for the most part, vents equaled safety.


    Not anymore. It seems like they would have to worry about more than rats in these metal tunnels. Wasn''t that a pleasant thought?


    Harry watched his friend ahead of him, also trying to avoid the black, sticky yet slippery, goo. He grimaced as his foot landed in a fairly thick spot of it, shivering at the feeling. He really wished they had shoes. This stuff couldn''t be good for the cuts and scrapes on the bottom of their feet.


    That''s all they needed, to get some kind of weird infection.


    They continued at a slow and steady pace trying to keep the noise to a minimum. Even Monsters needed their sleep, so it was best not to wake them. It made him wonder why they didn''t just sneak around at night.


    "Just because the Residents are asleep, doesn''t mean everything is. And they tend to be harder to avoid," said Six when he asked her about it. That made Harry pause for a moment, recalling the moth that couldn''t stand the sun. He quivered just thinking about a whole house full of those things.


    So nighttime could be even more dangerous that the day, because the threats were less known. A giant monster was easy to spot, but a flying moth in the dark?


    Well, he knew which one he would choose.


    "So, have you ever been to The Pretender''s room before?" asked Harry as they continued through the vents. It was much longer than he thought, with several twists and turns, interspaced with a few dead ends. Thankfully, they just had to follow the goo, made it easier to not get lost.


    Whether or not that was a good idea was another matter entirely.


    "Once. I try to avoid their domains as much as I can, since that''s a good way to get yourself killed, but if we want to get out of here, I don''t think there''s much choice," she answered.


    Harry nodded, though she couldn''t see it. Avoiding the spots that were most likely to have something in it that wanted to kill you? Makes perfect sense to him.


    Eventually, they were able to see a faint light through the darkness. It looked like the end was near. Good, because Harry was starting to get tired of stepping in the slime. He was just glad he wasn''t claustrophobic. Years spent in a small cupboard under the stairs desensitized him to the feeling. Heck, it was almost welcomed at this point.


    Especially with the world he was in right now.


    The two of them reached the end, and Six shut off her light. She stared down into the room in front of her. Well, not a room per say, more like a long hallway.


    The wooden floor was covered by a dirty old, yellow rug, with intricate patterns woven into it, with the main motif being that of an eye. Not surprising. It also seemed to stretch the whole length of the hall, at least as far as she could see.


    On top of the rug was a familiar trail of black sludge, leading down another hallway to the left. Six wasn''t sure if it was a good idea to follow the trail, considering that''s most likely where the monster came from, but at the same time, she at least knew the monster wasn''t there.


    The bare, plastered walls were covered with a light brown and beige wallpaper, alternating in color forming vertical stripes. Triangle patterns, unevenly dispersed along the stripes, using the opposite one''s color, formed a nauseating contrast.


    All along the wall were clocks, some attached to the wall, others standing on their own. None of them seemed to be set to the same time, as the constant ticking they produced was out of sync to all the rest, creating a cacophony of unpleasantness.


    Numerous paintings were interspersed among the clocks, but from this angle and distance, Six was unable to make out most of them, and the ones she could were as disturbing as usual.


    Odd creatures and odd places, mixed in with images of children. She knew for some reason they liked to hang paintings of the kids they turn into dolls on the walls. She didn''t know why, but it made her stomach churn whenever she saw them. She was just glad there was no one she knew, at least as far as she could see.


    Whenever she saw a painting, Six tended to look away and not dwell on it. Sure, she didn''t know many kids in this place, and was only ever close to one before, but she still didn''t like to see a familiar face on the wall, knowing at any moment, it could be her face next to it.


    Below the paintings and set between the large, grandfather clocks were numerous tables or dressers with various nick knacks or clocks on them. She didn''t understand why they needed so many clocks. Whoever their interior decorator was did a poor job.


    Looking directly below her, she could see a small end table with a dirty, white embroidered cover and a small picture frame. It was just tall enough that they could jump down without risk of injury. She turned back to her friend, before asking him once more.


    "You ready?"


    He gave her a determined nod, eyes resolved to see this through, no matter what. "As I''ll ever be."


    Six nodded back before she carefully jumped down onto the table. She landed with a soft thump, nearly slipping from the sludge coating her feet. Thankfully, she was able to keep her balance.


    Looking out across the hallway for any sign that something heard her, she was relieved when nothing did. Considering how loud the clocks were, she doubted anything would, but caution was always the better part of valor.


    Seeing that nothing was trying to kill her, she signaled to Harry to join her. "Careful not to slip," she warned. Looking over the edge of the vent, Harry stared down at his landing zone with mild trepidation. It wasn''t that it was very far down that had him nervous, it was more like nerves from entering somewhere new.


    Who knows what would be waiting for them right around the corner. Considering all the things he''s seen so far, and on the first day no less, he wasn''t eager to see what else dwelt in this place.


    But there was nothing to be done about it. If he stayed still, he would surely die. The only thing he could do to stay alive was move forward. With that in mind, Harry took a breath, and leaped down onto the table.


    He landed next to Six, with a slightly louder thump. You''d think with his smaller and lighter frame he would make less noise, but it turns out experience trumps simple things like logic and possibly physics.


    Not only that, but Harry also slipped as he landed, falling painfully on his rear.


    Ow¡­" he complained from his back. And after he was warned too.


    Six looked at him with a mixture of worry and amusement. "You ok?" she asked, holding out a hand for him to grasp. Harry sighed, disappointed in himself for being so clumsy. But to be fair, it wasn''t entirely his fault. That goo was just so slick! He had no idea how Six managed to keep herself from falling.


    "Yeah, thanks," he mumbled to himself, embarrassed by his slip up. He grabbed her hand and Six helped him to his feet.


    "I did warn you," Six said.


    "Knowing about it and stopping it are two different things," Harry explained, trying to ignore the small bit of mirth he could see in her eyes. He was glad she was amused, he just wished it didn''t have to come at his expense.


    Looking away from her to avoid the laughter in her eyes, Harry was surprised to see a familiar face. Seeing her friend''s body lock up, she turned to see what had him so freaked out, before her own eyes widened in surprise.


    In the picture frame on the table was none other than The Ferryman. He was sitting in what looked like a rowboat in choppy water, two paddles on either side, with the sunset in the background.


    The two of them stared at the photo for a bit, not saying a thing. There was the monster that lured them into this place, using fake words and empty hope. What a cruel creature he turned out to be.


    But the worst part was not knowing why. Why were they chosen? For what purpose? Those thoughts swelled in their heads as they stared at the small portrait.


    Six finally managed to turn away. "Come on," she urged her companion. It took Harry a few more seconds, his attempts to burn a hole into it with his glare proving fruitless, but he finally relented.


    Looking over at Six, he managed a small smile, reassuring her that he was alright. She nodded in acceptance, before she jumped down onto the scratchy rug, its texture uncomfortable on her feet.


    She turned to look back at Harry, telling him in a teasing voice, "Remember, don''t slip."


    Harry rolled his eyes at that, but there was a slight grin on his face. He jumped down, managing to stay on his feet this time. He turned to his friend, throwing his arms out wide, "Ta-da."


    Six gave him a small, semi mocking clap as she praised him, "Wow, good job."


    "Thank you, thank you, I''ll be here all week," Harry said, mirth dancing in his eyes. The two of them chuckled a bit, before looking out into the hall.


    "Well, let''s get started, shall we," said Harry. Six nodded in agreement, and the two of them began to walk further into the hall, eyes watching every shadow for movement. They didn''t want to be caught off guard again.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Try to stay on the rug. It helps mask the floor squeaks," she advised. She''s seen more than once how a simple squeaky board could spell someone''s doom. She didn''t want it to be them.


    "Right," Harry acknowledged. That was just fine with him, the less noise they made the better in his opinion. It was just too bad that the rugs were covered in the black sludge, so they had to walk along the edges, one on either side.


    The pair made their way down the hall, coming to the path leading to the left. Staring down it, they could see the goop on the floor leading to a room on the left, with the door slightly ajar. Opposite that was another door, though this one was closed.


    Deciding to check the rest of this hall first, they continued on to the dead end. It was a closed elevator door, leading to who knows where. Six frowned as she stared at it, noticing the light on top of the elevator wasn''t on.


    It had no power.


    Six sighed in irritation. Taking an elevator wasn''t usually the best idea, since it was loud, and you never knew who could be waiting on the other side, but having the option, especially if you needed to escape something, was always good.


    "Something wrong?" whispered Harry. Six gave him a look, before pointing to the top of the elevator, "There''s no light, see? It means there''s no power, we can''t go this way, not unless we restore its power."


    "So, how do we do that?" Harry asked. Six looked around the elevator for a moment, before spotting a small panel, "There," she said, indicating the spot to Harry, "It''s missing a fuse. If we want to take this down, we need to find one."


    Harry nodded. He understood what she said, and it made sense from a technical viewpoint. No fuse, no power. Simple enough. But why would there be no fuse? Wouldn''t that make it hard to navigate the mansion if the elevator didn''t work?


    When he asked Six that very same question, she just shrugged. "There''s a lot about this place that doesn''t make sense. This isn''t the only elevator either. Each one seems to be connected to only two floors."


    That made even less sense. Who would design a house like this? He could understand an elevator if the house was big enough, that made sense, but to have several only connected to a pair of floors?


    Why?


    Thinking about the ways this world functioned always seemed to give him a headache. Best to ignore it and move on, like always. At the very least, they knew what they needed to do to leave this floor.


    "I guess we should start looking," Harry said, with Six agreeing. The two of them backtracked to the fork in the hall, heading for the room the monster appeared to come from.


    As they did, Harry got a good look at all the paintings on the wall. Six explained the pictures of kids when he asked, which made him shudder in revulsion. What kind of absolute psychopath keeps photos of their victims? No, not photos, full on portraits. It was just sick.


    And then there were the other pictures as well. Some of them were locations, and Six pointed to one in particular, "That one there, that''s The Nest."


    Harry stared at it perplexed. It was indeed a massive mansion on a cliff, but the cliff itself was far too small to support anything. The base of it was tiny compared to the summit, which expanded outward for who knows how far exactly.


    There was no possible way it should have been able to hold up the island itself, let alone anything on top of it. One fierce wave could knock the whole thing over. It made Harry want to escape even more now.


    And Six was no help in alleviating his worries either, as she didn''t know either. But considering she''s lived here for months already; she wasn''t too concerned about it sinking into the ocean.


    But Harry very much was, and his nervous freakout concerning it seemed to be a source of further amusement for Six.


    But it wasn''t just kids and locations the portraits portrayed. There were also other Residents. Horrible, disfigured images of near human faces greeted him at every turn. It was nauseating.


    One woman had a face with wide eyes that seemed to be unable to blink. Like she had no eyelids. Her mouth was far too wide as well, reminding Harry of The Leecher. Her hair looked greasy and wild, like she never took care of it.


    Which she probably didn''t. Harry wouldn''t be surprised if the things here didn''t know what a bath was. She actually reminded him of his old teacher, before she went missing. No one knew what happened to her¡­


    Not that he missed her. Far from it in fact. She was the type of person who enjoyed disciplining anyone she considered a troublemaker, and Harry just so happened to be at the top of her list. Like she was Santa Claus, but instead of giving the ''bad kids'' coal, she just smacked them good with a ruler.


    The fact that she adored his cousin sure didn''t endear her to Harry. Her going missing was a day he remembered fondly.


    Another showed him what appeared to be an obese woman taking a bath while smoking. But the bathtub was far too small, and only a portion of the woman could fit inside. Like a reverse iceberg. He was just glad the numerous folds of her fat blocked his view from anything unpleasant. That was not something he wanted to see.


    There was even one of a chef, or at least something wearing a chef''s hat. Like the woman before it, he was also fairly large, only slightly trimmer than his uncle. But his face drew the most attention. It looked like he was wearing a mask, the skin not fitting quite right, and he could see red, splotchy skin underneath.


    Did he skin someone and wear their flesh as a suit? The thought brought a new wave of nausea to Harry. This world was truly messed up if that was the case. But maybe he was wrong and the skin suit was rubber or something, used to hide the grotesque monster underneath.


    That was only mildly more comforting.


    There were several more pictures following the like, too numerous for Harry to bother remembering. But he did ask Six if she recognized any of them, to which she shook her head in the negative, "No. If they''re real, then they don''t live here."


    That was a relief at the very least. He didn''t want to run into any of the things he saw on the wall.


    The two of them reached the open door, and Six made a gesture for Harry to keep quiet. He nodded his head, and Six slowly crept inside.


    The first thing she noticed was the cages. How could she not, they were stacked to the ceiling in some places. The floor was lacking any sort of carpeting, being just plain wood. The light in the room was dim, coming only from the open door behind her, casting the whole room in a gloomy shadow.


    As the two of them made their way fully inside the room, Harry looked about with wide eyes, "W-what the¡­ What happened here?"


    The cages weren''t much of a surprise to Harry, having seen a few already, with bones picked clean inside. Bones that didn''t belong to any animal. But this was different, more sinister, as hard as that was to believe.


    The cages themselves were empty, something that would normally relieve the both of them. As apathetic as Six could be at times, she didn''t actually want anyone to suffer, especially like this.


    But something was very wrong here. They could see the black, sludge-like substance in the middle of the floor, in a far greater amount than anywhere else. But that wasn''t all. Trails of the gunk could be seen traveling from several of the empty cages, coalescing into the center.


    Blood, deep and red, splattered against the cage bars, intermingling with the black of the goop, like they were forcibly dragged from their imprisonment. But if that were the case, then where were the bodies?


    It''s possible they were all eaten, but for some reason, Six had her doubts. She couldn''t explain why, just a feeling in the back of her head telling her there was more to what happened here.


    "I''m not sure. It looks like several kids were kept here, but something grabbed them. Probably the same thing that tried to get us," she said.


    "But that''s not all, is it?" Harry said, having a similar feeling to Six. He couldn''t shake the feeling that there was more to this room than meets the eye.


    "No, something else happened here. I can''t put my finger on it, but¡­" she trailed off. There was something off about this room. Something dark. The house normally had an oppressive aura, but this room cranked it up to eleven.


    She inspected the room as best she could, looking for any sign of a hidden crack or something that would lead them out of here. Looking up, she thought she could see something, but it was hard to make out in the dim light, and her lighter wouldn''t be much help.


    But then she remembered Harry had something that should prove useful, "Hairy, can I see your flashlight?" she asked.


    "Sure," he said, retrieving it from his shorts that were way too big. She nodded in thanks, before shining the light in the room, causing the shadows to dance in delight. It certainly did not help with the foreboding atmosphere in the room, not one little bit.


    Now with more light, Six was able to make out more of the room, revealing secrets that were previously hidden. Up in the corner, barely visible at this angle, was another vent opening. It would be difficult to reach, but not impossible, just some climbing and a few well-placed jumps.


    Harry followed the path of the beam of light, seeing the vent as well, "Looks like there''s a way out. Should we start to climb?" he asked. Six shook her head once again, "No, let''s explore the rest of the hallway first."


    Harry nodded, eager to leave the room one way or another. As Six turned around to leave, she flashed the light over the center of the room, and something caught her eye.


    Noticing his companion wasn''t walking with him to leave the room, Harry looked back to see what she was doing. Following the beam of light, he saw her inspecting something by the large sludge pile. He walked over to see what had her so distracted.


    It was barely visible, and nearly covered completely by the black sludge, but Harry could make out a line of white. It stood as a stark contrast to the black, but even so, it was hardly visible, even with the flashlight directly shining on it.


    Six had some pretty sharp eyes, at least compared to Harry. While he didn''t need glasses in this world, his vision wasn''t what one would call great. Everything was clear enough, like he was wearing his glasses from his old world.


    Too bad they were the wrong prescription.


    Even so, he could clearly see the line of white, but he had no idea what it was for what its purpose could be.


    The pair noticed right away that it wasn''t just one line, it was several. No, that wasn''t quite true, it was one line, the black substance merely covered parts of it, making it seem like there were multiple.


    If you looked carefully, it became clear it formed a circle of some kind, confusing the two even more. Six had never seen anything like it before, and neither had Harry.


    "What is this?" Harry asked, squatting down and reaching for the line. Upon closer inspection, it looked like it was made of chalk. Just who or what made this thing? And why?


    As Harry touched the white line, his entire body seized up and began spasming, like he was having a seizure, a burning pain shooting through him like an electric shock.


    "Hairy!" Six yelled in concern, watching as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, as he collapsed onto the floor. She kneeled down beside him, shaking him none too gently, trying to get him to respond.


    After nearly a minute of him laying there comatose, Six was almost ready to give up. But he was still breathing, so she wasn''t ready to throw in the towel just yet. Grabbing him by his arms, she began to drag him out of the room. She wasn''t sure where she could take him, but anywhere had to be better than here.


    That wasn''t completely true, but she didn''t know what else to do. It was the white circle that caused him to freak out, so her best plan of action was to get him away from it.


    As soon as she crossed the threshold, Harry seemed to jerk awake, nearly causing Six to fall onto her butt. Thankfully, she had amazing balance and reflexes, and managed to stay on her feet.


    He looked around in near hysteria, eyes darting every which way, searching for something yet unable to focus on a single thing. His breathing was rapid and erratic, and Six thought he might pass out at any moment.


    "Hairy," she said, trying to snap him out of it, but it was no use. He may have been awake, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. She tried again, louder, which made her feel itchy. She hated being loud.


    But still, nothing. She looked around the hallway nervously, expecting something to pop out of nowhere to attack them. So far, nothing. But if she didn''t snap her friend out of whatever fear induced trance he was in, then it was only a matter of time. Something was bound to travel these halls eventually, whether they heard them or not.


    She grabbed him by the shoulders, intent on shaking him, but the contact made him panic, and with a yell of fright, he slapped her hand away and crawled away, desperate to escape what he must have perceived as an enemy.


    Six watched him crawl under a table, back against the wall, searching for an enemy that just wasn''t there. It was like that one time she watched a kid eat a poisonous mushroom. He ran away from things that weren''t there until he ran into something that was.


    Six made sure to avoid mushrooms after that.


    But Harry hadn''t eaten anything of the sort, at least as far as she could tell, so it had to have been that circle in the other room. There was no other explanation. Just what in the world did they stumble onto?


    She approached him cautiously, careful not to make any sudden movements. She didn''t want to scare him even further if she could help it. "Hairy," she said gently, trying to coax him back to reality.


    The sound of her voice drew his attention, as he stared right at her. But she could tell that even though he was looking directly into her eyes, he still didn''t see her. He was clearly gazing at something else.


    Something that terrified him.


    "Hairy, it''s me, Six," she kept trying, hoping she didn''t have to slap him. How did she snap him out of it last time? Oh right, she clapped in his face. She wasn''t sure that was the best idea this time, however. With how scared he was, he might react violently, and if he used his power¡­


    No, it was better to get him out of it gently. WIth that in mind, she placed herself directly in front of him, before reaching out and grabbing his hands. He flinched back, holding his hands to his chest, but Six wasn''t one to give up so easily.


    "Hairy, look at me," she said, reaching her hands out slowly again. His eyes cleared, but only slightly. She was making progress, bit by bit. No matter how much she wanted to hurry this up and head for somewhere less exposed, she couldn''t. This had to be done gradually, step by step.


    She grabbed his hands once again, and while he recoiled slightly, he didn''t jerk his hands away again. Good, more progress.


    "Hairy, can you see me?" she asked, squeezing his hands. He stared down at them, his face a mask of confusion, but slowly, his eyes became clear. He clutched her hands tightly, staring at them in wonder, before looking back at her face.


    "S-Six?" he asked. He was clearly still confused about where he was, but at least his breathing was getting under control, and she could no longer hear his heart beating in his chest, so that was good. She was worried he might have a heart attack if it kept up.


    "It''s me Hairy. You''re ok, you''re safe," she said, as gently as she could. He looked at her uncomprehendingly, "S-safe?" He shifted his gaze to his surroundings, still not fully in the moment.


    "Yes, safe. Do you remember what happened?" she asked. He looked at her once more in confusion, before something seemed to click in his mind. Without warning, he threw her hands to the side and crawled away from her. Six thought he was about to flee from her again, which made her chest tighten uncomfortably for some reason, but instead, he did something she didn''t expect.


    He threw up all over the dirty rug. She watched in disgust and mild irritation as chunks of last night''s dinner stained the floor. Wasting food was never a good thing, especially when you didn''t know when your next meal would be, but this irked her for completely different reasons.


    She worked very hard on that meal, and she didn''t like seeing her effort go to waste.


    Oh well, at least he seemed to have snapped out of whatever trance he was in, so she couldn''t complain too much. A small loss for a greater victory, she could live with that.


    After a minute or two of Harry emptying his stomach, he finally subsided, regaining control of himself. He leaned back against the wall, completely exhausted. Six''s nose crinkled at the smell, but she didn''t comment. She instead leaned against the wall as well, far away from the pile of puke.


    She gave him another minute to compose himself, before she asked the question burning a hole in her mind, "Hairy, what happened?"


    He looked her through his peripherals, before switching his gaze to his hands, clenching them tightly in his lap. He didn''t want to tell her, to relive what just happened, but he had to. She deserved to know. Knowledge is power after all, and this knowledge might just keep her alive.


    That was worth more than any discomfort the story might bring. So with a deep breath, he began to tell her everything.


    "I saw it Six¡­" he said, gaze shifting to look her directly in the eyes.


    "I saw what happened in that room."

 Horrors of the Past

    Harry''s eyes were shut tight as the pain coursed through his body. He should have known better than to touch a clearly suspicious drawing in a room that made his heebies get the jeebies.


    But as soon as the pain started, it also seemed to stop. Opening his eyes, Harry found himself in the exact same spot, only there was something different. The room was brighter, for one thing, and looking down, there was a distinct absence of black sludge.


    Instead, he could clearly see what it was hiding. Like they thought, it was a white circle, with intricate details forming a beguiling pattern in the center. Line after line crisscrossed and connected in mind boggling ways.


    Harry couldn''t make heads or tails of it, having never seen anything like it before, but maybe his companion had. "Hey Six, have you ever-" but that was as far as he got. Turning to where Six was supposed to be, he found nothing but empty air.


    Looking around in a panic, he desperately searched for his suddenly missing friend, but to no avail. She was nowhere in sight. However, that didn''t mean he was alone. Far from it in fact.


    Several kids his age, dirty and afraid, were locked inside the cages that were previously vacant. Most of them had eyes that were empty, devoid of hope or life, like they had given up on living. They were eyes he''s seen once or twice in the mirror himself.


    But where did they come from? He could have sworn he was alone in this room save for Six. He knew it was dark in here, or at least it used to be, but there was no way they would have missed them. Especially Six. Her eyes were much better than his.


    "Hey," Harry said, gingerly approaching the nearest cage, one that held a young girl, even younger than Harry. She was dressed in a torn, periwinkle dress that had bits of grime and dirt caking the hem. Like Harry, she was also barefooted.


    She seemed to take no notice of Harry''s approach, nor his voice. Ordinarily, this wouldn''t be a problem, Harry didn''t like to be the center of attention after all, but right now, he wanted some answers. Answers he wouldn''t get by being ignored.


    "Hey, can you hear me?" Harry asked as he reached the cage. But still, she refused to acknowledge him. Her eyes remained downcast as she sat there, staring at nothing.


    Growing frustrated by the lack of response, he grabbed the cage to give it a shake, "Hey!" he shouted. But something strange happened here, and considering the strange things that normally happened around him, that was saying something.


    His hand went through the cage bars, like they weren''t even there. Taking a step back in surprise, Harry stared at his hands in confusion. Only now did he realize they were transparent.


    He moved them in front of his face, back and forth, noticing a slight trail of color as he did so. Like one side of his hand couldn''t keep up with the other. He knew his eyes weren''t the best, but this was something on a whole new level.


    He tried to touch himself, but even then, his hands seemed to go through each other. They shivered and vibrated as he did so, something he could see but not feel. It wasn''t that he was numb per say, as everything else felt relatively normal. It was more like it was muted.


    Harry tried to touch the cage bars once more, only to be met with the same result. He was thoroughly confused now. Was he dead? Was he a ghost? Guess it wasn''t so bad, all things considered, but that doesn''t mean he was happy about it.


    Far from it, in fact.


    But wait, if he really was dead and wandering this forsaken world as a spirit, where was Six? Him being a specter explained a few things, but not everything. It was a good starting theory, but that''s all it was at this point.


    A theory.


    Until he had some more concrete evidence, he would continue under the assumption that he was still alive. And if that was the case, then what  is  happening to him?


    He also tried to call upon his magic, but like the rest of him, it was muted. Like a dull, buzzing sound in the distance, and he was underwater. He wouldn''t be able to rely on it. His magic was currently out of reach.


    Ok, so he couldn''t touch anything, and he couldn''t use magic. Could he be trapped in a dream? If he was a normal boy, then maybe that would be a viable deduction. Unfortunately, Harry was anything but normal, and he has always been able to touch things in his dreams before, even if sometimes he wished he wasn''t able to.


    So that most likely ruled that out as well. But if he wasn''t dreaming, then what the heck is going on? What did that circle do to him?


    "It''ll be alright," said a voice to Harry''s left. A voice he didn''t recognize. Turning sharply to see who spoke, Harry was greeted to the sight of a boy his own age, with a dark brown jacket and torn, filthy pants. And like him and the girl next to him, he was also not wearing any shoes.


    Seriously, what''s with the no shoes thing? Was it a collective fashion choice everyone seemed to make? Or was there something wrong with the world itself that it couldn''t provide them with shoes?


    Did someone or something out there, watching them, have a thing for feet? The Ferryman maybe? The Eyes? Or something else entirely? Harry didn''t know, but he was determined to find a nice pair of shoes, just to spite them.


    "You can see me?" Harry asked, his voice tinged with hope. But alas, the boy wasn''t speaking to him. No, he was talking to the girl next to him. Of course he was, why would he pay any attention to poor, lonely Harry.


    He missed Six already.


    The girl in the cage didn''t acknowledge him, her eyes remaining downcast and empty. The boy in the cage next to her frowned at the lack of response, his hand reaching out, trying to touch her, likely to reassure her of his words.


    "Rose¡­" he said, his hand barely grazing her arm. This action seemed to get a response, although barely. She turned her dull, lifeless eyes towards the other boy, regarding him for a moment, before returning to stare hopelessly at the ground.


    The boy next to her frowned, "Hey, come on. It will be ok, I promise."


    Harry winced at those words, recognizing them for the empty hope it was. Promises like that weren''t able to be kept at the best of times, but especially here, in this place, they were particularly cruel.


    "How can you say that? You know we''re going to die," she said, her voice harsh and dry, like she hadn''t had anything to drink in days. Come to think of it, neither had Harry. If he managed to escape this place, wherever it was, he would need to find something to quench his parched throat.


    Maybe a nice cup of tea, he was British after all.


    "I refuse to give up hope. Someone will save us, you''ll see," the boy said. For a second, Harry thought she would actually come around, a small spark of something akin to life flashing in her eyes. But as soon as it appeared, it was gone, nothing more than a trick of the light.


    As inspirational as it may have seemed, holding on to hope no matter what, a part of Harry grew slightly irritated at the boy. Sure, Harry himself was hopeful that he and Six would escape, but there was a time and place for such things.


    Would hope get him out of that cage?


    Not likely.


    Would hope fill their stomachs or quench their thirst?


    Absolutely not.


    Hope was all well and good as a motivator to keep you going, to push through hard times, but right now what they needed was action. Waiting for some miraculous savior was just plain stupid. That was no way to survive.


    But maybe Harry was being too harsh. After all, they were trapped in cages, and perhaps they had tried to escape, but failed. Maybe, all they had left was hope.


    Harry was like that once. He hoped beyond hope that someone would save him from his torment at his relatives, but no one ever did. He tried to tell teachers and even the police, but they refused to listen. His uncle spun them a tale of a troubled youth making up stories for attention.


    And it worked every time.


    Harry learned the hard way that no one was going to just come and save you. If that''s what you wanted, you''d be waiting an awful long time. Long enough for someone with ulterior motives to come along and offer you a choice.


    A choice that wasn''t really a choice at all. Suffer here or suffer there, but either way, you still suffer.


    He even tried to run away once, but he didn''t get very far. Turns out, people were very suspicious about a small, dirty child wandering the streets in clothes far too big for himself. Harry was certain that the people who reported him to the police wanted what was best for him, worried about the too skinny youth out in the elements and just didn''t know what hell they were subjecting him to.


    Returning home after that was another lesson entirely. Ranked easily in the top three worst beatings of his life. He didn''t try again. That was the day Hary learned not to hope, because it always led to disappointment.


    But after meeting Six, that tiny ember he thought thoroughly snuffed out started to kindle again. Part of him relished in the feeling, one that seemed to warm his chest and strengthen his resolve, but another part, the one met with disappointment after disappointment, rebelled against the feeling.


    Perhaps that was why he was truly so upset with the kid in the cage. He held onto something Harry had abandoned long ago. Because he wasn''t strong enough to do so.


    The girl, Rose, didn''t answer the other kid, and just kept staring at the ground. He looked like he was about to say something else, but the sound of the door opening distracted him.


    Looking toward the entrance, Harry was met with a familiar sight. It was the girl from the garden, standing there with the light from the hallway illuminating her form.


    Harry took a step back in fear. That was the same girl that nearly killed him in his dream, and would have had he not woken up the moment she lunged at him. He wasn''t sure if she would be able to see him at the moment, but he didn''t want to take the risk.


    But that wasn''t all. Standing behind her was another figure, dressed in a rumpled black suit, hunched over until his face was nearly between his knees, with a golden shackle binding his hands behind his back.


    He was pale, unnaturally so, with a balding head holding a few strands of precious hair, and liver spots dotted every inch of his scalp. His face, something that Harry could barely see, was stretched into a forced smile, reaching almost literally to his ears. Beady black eyes stared at everything besides his mistress with disdain.


    This must be The Butler that Six mentioned. He certainly seemed to fit the part.


    The pair of them walked into the room, and Harry found himself trying to press himself against the wall, trying not to be seen. It was also this time that Harry realized that The Butler wasn''t standing at all, he was floating.


    That''s right, Six mentioned he had psychic powers didn''t she? But he didn''t remember her saying he could float above the ground. Or did she? He couldn''t remember. But if he was The Butler, then the little girl next to him had to be The Pretender, right? He suspected as much, but wasn''t sure until now.


    He would double check with Six later, if there was a later, just to be absolutely sure. But seeing The Butler defer to her in reverence gave him a pretty clear indication of who she was.


    The pair stopped in front of the circle in the center of the room, and that''s when Harry noticed The Pretender was carrying a book in her left hand. How had he not seen that before? Was he that afraid? He needed to get a grip, missing details like that could spell his doom.


    The Pretender took the book and opened it, casually skimming the pages until she landed on the right one. Her face morphed into a twisted facsimile of a smile, causing Harry to shiver.


    And he wasn''t the only one. The Hopeful Kid also shivered in fear, though he tried not to show it. The girl, Rose, barely acknowledged The Pretender''s presence, giving her a brief glance before returning her gaze to the bottom of the cage.


    The Pretender looked at The Butler and shouted something in a language Harry wasn''t sure was a language. More like it was intended to sound like she was speaking, but lacked the actual ability to do so.


    Either way, The Butler seemed to understand as it began to float towards the cages. The children he appeared next to tried to crawl away from him as fast and as far as they could, which wasn''t very far, considering they were in cages.


    The Butler inspected each and every cage, one by one, looking at the prisoners trapped inside. What he was looking for, Harry had no idea, but he eventually seemed to find it.


    The Hopeful Kid.


    He stared at The Butler with defiance, trying to show the monster he wasn''t afraid. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the exact trait The Butler needed. His face split into an even more monstrous smile, showing crooked and broken teeth, black as tar. The Butler''s eye seemed to light up with an eerie glow, as the cage was gripped by an invisible force, and the door wrenched open.


    The Hopeful Kid panicked, as he too was gripped by that same power. "Let me go!" he screamed, clinging to the cage bars for all he was worth. The Butler''s expression never changed as he ripped the Hopeful Kid from the cage. He was just too powerful for the strength of one child alone to overcome.


    Harry wanted to say something, do something, but what? He couldn''t interact with anything, and he couldn''t feel his magic either. The only thing he could do was the one thing he didn''t want to do.


    Watch.


    He could always look away, but he felt that would be a disservice to whatever was about to happen. He owed it, not only to himself to learn all he could, but also to the victims of this horrible place.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    So he watched, with growing anger and revulsion, as The Hopeful Kid was forced into the center of the intricate circle. And he wasn''t the only one. Every kid, even Rose, watched what was about to happen with apprehension. They didn''t know what the monster masquerading as one of them had planned, but they knew it wasn''t anything good.


    The Pretender watched as the wriggling child was forced against the floor, The Butler holding him firm with his telekinetic powers. After inspecting the child for herself, she seemed to find what she was looking for as well. She looked at the book in her hand, eyes alight with devilish delight as she read the words.


    "W-what do you want with me?" asked The Hopeful Kid. But his question would go unanswered, as The Pretender began to chant something in her made up language. Soon, the circle below them began to glow an ominous crimson, and sparks of energy shot off in every direction.


    The light above them flickered, faster and faster, until it eventually burst, catching on fire. But instead of normal flames, these ones glowed an ethereal blue, casting the room in a ghostly light, intermixed with the bloody red of the circle below.


    A violent wind appeared from nowhere, dust and debris spinning around the room in a vortex. Harry held his arm in front of him, trying to keep the filth from his eyes, being only partially successful.


    "W-what are you? Ahh!" screamed The Hopeful Kid, his agony echoing across the room. Harry watched with impotent rage, unable to do anything but observe. His fists clenched tight as he lamented his own helplessness.


    "Stop! Please! It hurts! It hurts!" he continued to scream. Rose, who has thus far been mostly apathetic, cried with deep mournful tears streaming down her face, matching the tears of The Hopeful Kid. Harry saw her mouth move up and down, but no words came out. None that he could hear, at least.


    The light from the circle reached a crescendo, blinding Harry and the other kids. Soon, there was nothing but silence, deafening in its quietness. Tentatively, Harry peeked out from behind his own arm.


    And he wished he hadn''t. Where there used to be a kid, there was now a pile of meat, with bits of bone sticking out sporadically. Hair seemed to grow in patches all around the lumpy flesh. Blood seeped out onto the ground, coating it with the life giving liquid.


    Harry held his hand to his mouth to keep his dinner safely inside. He wasn''t sure what would happen if he did barf, but he didn''t want to find out. Puking was bad enough under normal circumstances, he couldn''t imagine it would be any better here.


    Probably worse, knowing his luck.


    But the other kids weren''t so lucky, as most of them lost their lunches. Or whatever meal they had in their stomach. Harry''s face scrunched up in disgust at the sound of their retching, not that he could blame them for it.


    One who didn''t throw up, just so happened to be Rose. Her eyes were wide as saucers as she stared at the thing that used to be a human being. Her face morphed into a visage of pure horror as her breathing became increasingly erratic.


    "Brother¡­" he heard her whisper. Now it was Harry''s turn for his eyes to widen. That was her brother? She was forced to watch her own brother be used in whatever sick experiment this was.


    That was¡­ Awful, terrible, inhumane, and so much more. Harry didn''t think there was enough time in the day to describe the emotions he felt at the revelation.


    The Pretender felt none of these emotions, and neither did The Butler. She threw the book on the ground and began shouting what Harry could only assure were curse words. If he didn''t know better, he would assume she was a sailor.


    It seems like whatever she was trying to accomplish here didn''t turn out the way she planned. Guess creating a useless lump of flesh wasn''t what she wanted after all.


    Her tantrum didn''t last too long, thankfully, as she ran out of breath, huffing and puffing in anger. With one last, frustrated huff, she turned on her heel and left the room. The Butler floated there for a few seconds, watching her leave, before using his powers to grab the book and followed after. The door slammed shut behind him as he left, casting the room into darkness.


    The room was once more silent, save for the sobbing of the children still locked away inside. Harry wished he could do something, but there was nothing he could do but wonder why he was here in the first place. Wasn''t it over? What more could there be?


    He wished he hadn''t asked that, as a new noise entered the room. No¡­ not new. It was familiar, one he heard not even an hour ago. The sound of something taking n desperate breaths of air, wheezing in agony as it did so.


    Harry looked around in fear, as did the other kids. All except for Rose, who just kept staring at the pile of meat that was her brother.


    Hang on¡­ The sound¡­ It was coming from¡­


    Harry''s eyes bolted towards the center of the room, locked onto the gruesome sight in front of him. Or he would, if he could see anything. But with the door closed and the light shattered above, he couldn''t see much more than darkness.


    But that didn''t stop him from hearing it. The fact that he couldn''t actually see the thing only compounded the fear. And this time, there was no Six to ward off the terror. He was alone, with the ghosts of kids who couldn''t see him.


    Or did that make him the ghost?


    One by one, the rest of the kids seemed to figure out where the noise was coming from as well. Staring into the darkness, trying to find the thing responsible for making that horrible, desperate sound.


    Was he¡­ still alive? He was breathing, if you could call it that, so he must be alive in some capacity, right? The thought made Harry shiver in revulsion.


    But that noise was the same he heard last night. There was no mistaking it. The sound was sure to haunt him for the rest of his days, and now, knowing it was an innocent kid forced into that form by the failed experiment of a monster?


    It made it so much worse. Not to mention the fact that they likely killed it as well. They weren''t trying to, but well¡­ things happen. It made Harry feel guilty about the whole thing.


    But that wouldn''t help them; not him, not Six, and certainly not The Hopeful Kid. He wouldn''t allow the gnawing guilt to consume him. He couldn''t. There was far too much for him to do, mourning and regretting every life he couldn''t save would only lead to despair.


    It was easy to tell himself that. Convincing himself it was the truth was another matter entirely. Logic and reason don''t always get along with emotions after all.


    As Harry continued to stare in the direction of The Hopeful Kid, something strange happened. A faint light shone down from somewhere, illuminating the pitch black. He could faintly make out the form of The Hopeful Kid, his bulbous, boneless form rising up and down in tandem with the sound of its breathing.


    Looking around, Harry couldn''t figure out where the light was coming from. There were no other lights in the room, and the one that was, was thoroughly destroyed. It was like it was coming from Nowhere.


    Was it just him? Did it have something to do with the fact that he was in a dream of some kind? That was the only explanation he could think of. Lights don''t just appear out of thin air.


    Do they?


    He couldn''t rule out the possibility of it being the world itself wanting him to see the tragedy in front of him. It seemed to get its jollies on the pain and suffering of others, so it was definitely possible. Heck, it could even be The Ferryman himself for all he knew.


    If that was the case, then there was something else it wanted him to see. An anxious feeling formed in the pit of his stomach. What else could there be? What else could he possibly be shown?


    Harry sought the answers by looking around the room, but there was nothing else he could spot. Nothing but cages, several of them occupied.


    And that''s when it hit him, like a bolt of lightning. They were occupied, but Harry remembered something different. When he and Six entered the room, it was completely devoid of life. Every cage was empty, save for blood.


    "No¡­" Harry whispered, anxiety turning into dread. If the cages were empty then, but not now, that means something had to have happened to them, right?


    Was he¡­? Could he be¡­ in the past? Was Harry seeing the events leading to the creation of the monster? The more he thought about it, the more sense it started to make.


    He was in the past. Guess he wasn''t dead after all.


    Figuring that out didn''t help him much, unfortunately. He still had no idea how to return, unless he needed to see whatever happened here to the end. Which, considering the cages were empty when he entered the room, was something he didn''t really want to do.


    He could take an educated guess as to what happened to the rest of them.


    "Brother, say something. Please," begged Rose. Harry looked at her, only to find she had crawled to the front of the cage, gripping the bars tightly. Tears still cascaded down her face as she called out to her brother.


    "Be quiet! Don''t wake that thing up!" whisper-shouted another kid. Harry could only shake his head in disbelief. The kid was way louder than Rose. If anyone was going to wake it up, it was him.


    "He''s not a thing! That''s my brother!" Rose shouted angrily.


    "I don''t care! Just keep your voice down!" the other kid shouted back. He wasn''t even trying to be quiet at this point. Harry couldn''t help but think it was a good thing Six wasn''t here. The shouting would probably give her an aneurism.


    Rose didn''t respond with words, but her choking sobs could be heard quite clearly. Her entire body shook, wracked by an agonizing despair. Harry looked away, not being able to stomach the sheer sadness of it.


    His gaze fell on the fleshy remains of The Hopeful Kid, and Harry''s breathing nearly stopped. Its eyes, previously closed, were wide open, looking around the room in a manic frenzy. It was impossible to tell where its face was, even with its eyes fully open. Everything just sort of¡­ blobbed together.


    But as Rose''s sobs continued, its eyes focused more and more on her, making Harry''s skin crawl. He may have been her brother before, but now he was just a monster. As much as Harry hoped there was some semblance of The Hopeful Kid remaining, he wouldn''t bet on it.


    Hope was a fleeting thing after all, to be discarded for something far more useful, the ability to survive. And considering he already had some experience with the monster he would become¡­


    This could only end badly.


    The rest of the kids didn''t seem to notice it yet, too enthralled by the exchange of the jerk and Rose. "Will you stop crying already! You''re getting on my nerves!" the jerk growled. Harry hasn''t wanted to punch somebody this bad since Dudley. The girl just lost her brother, cut her some slack!


    But at the same time, he could understand the jerk''s position as well. There was a monster-like thing in the room, gasping for air. He''d want everyone to be quiet too, but he wouldn''t be so insensitive about it. That was likely to make her cry even more!


    And that would make it more likely to draw the thing''s attention and put everyone in danger. Though it seems like the jerk cared less about that, and just didn''t like the sound of her crying, so Harry still wanted to punch him.


    "Come on man, you don''t have to be such a jerk," said another kid, making Harry nod along. His point exactly!


    "What!? You can''t tell me you want to listen to her wailing?" Jerko the jerk asked. The other kid didn''t respond, which seemed to be all the confirmation needed.


    "That''s what I thought," the jerk said, smugly. The other kid tried to deny it, but it was half hearted at best. He wasn''t so mean about it, but he didn''t actually want to listen to her either.


    People suffered and died all the time here, there was no use crying about it. Not like it would bring them back.


    As the arguing went on, Harry kept an eye on the blob formerly known as The Hopeful Kid. Its eyes, previously spinning and looking at everything it could, finally stopped and rested on Rose. This time, they didn''t look away.


    That was either a good thing, or a very bad thing. There didn''t seem to be any sort of in between in this place.


    She finally seemed to settle down, her cries tuning into pitiful whimpers. The blob of flesh continued to stare at her, and Harry thought he could see confusion in its eyes. Perhaps there was a chance it remembered her after all, and nothing bad was going to happen.


    It was right when Harry was having those thoughts, that the real tragedy started to unfold.


    "Finally. I thought she''d never shut up. Now let''s find a way out of here before we end up like that loser," said the jerk. That seemed to light a fire in Rose, as she stared at him with angry, tear stained eyes.


    "Shut up! Don''t talk about my brother like that!"


    As Rose yelled at him, something seemed to change in the blob''s eyes. Confusion gave way to anger, and the whole atmosphere of the room changed. But it seemed like Harry was the only one who noticed.


    "Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it huh? Cry some more? Hahaha," the jerk laughed at her. Rose sniffed at that, as more tears threatened to fall down her face, no matter her desperation to prevent them from doing so.


    That seemed to be the catalyst that triggered the blob. The final, vengeful act of a brother seeking to destroy the one who made its sister cry, as the last vestige of his soul disappeared.


    The blob raised itself up, turning to face the one who was making its sister cry. The whole room grew silent as this happened, watching with bated breath to see what it would do.


    The jerk backed up as he stared into the hateful eye of the monster, hitting the back of the cage. Flesh began to ripple and bubble as the blob rose to its full height. Then it stopped, and the world became still.


    Without warning, a tendril shot out from the lump of flesh, rocketing towards the jerk. He fell to his rear as the tendril reached the cage, passing through the bars without issue. It enveloped the boy''s foot, and began to drag him towards the front.


    "No! Stop! Somebody, help!" he screamed, but there was nothing they could do. Everyone was trapped in their own cage, forced to watch the horrible event happening in front of their eyes. And the one person who wasn''t in a cage was as impotent as the rest, unable to interact with the world at all.


    The jerk grabbed at the bars, trying to halt his advance, but it did very little. The monster was simply too strong. Nothing he, or anyone else could do to stop what was about to happen.


    As the boy reached the front, his legs were dragged through the bars, his torso getting stuck between them. For a moment, Harry thought that would be it, that the monstrosity would give up when it couldn''t pull the boy through the bars.


    But he was wrong. He severely underestimated the barbarism of the former human. It continued to pull, even as the jerk screamed in sheer, utter agony. Slowly, inch by inch, he was forced through.


    Harry nearly retched as he listened to the sound of bones breaking and organs being turned to mush, but his current body prevented him from doing so. Blood poured out of the boy''s mouth, eyes, nose and ears. It came out everywhere, in amounts Harry couldn''t fathom.


    Did the human body always have so much blood? He couldn''t help the morbid thought as it crossed his mind. As much as Harry didn''t like the kid, this was a fate he wouldn''t wish on anybody. The pain must have been unimaginable.


    "Please stop! I''m sorry, I''m sorry!" he begged, but it would fall on deaf ears. The bars reached his chest, and with a final, gurgling scream, he finally passed away. Part of Harry was glad, not because he was dead, but because he was no longer in pain. The screams of the dying kid would likely haunt Harry for the rest of his life.


    Seems like he would be haunted by many things before his journey was through.


    The monster of flesh pulled the new corpse out of the cage towards him, the body slamming into it with a wet splat. The sound made Harry cringe. But that wasn''t the only thing that happened.


    The body slowly merged with the greater blob, being enveloped by the flesh and becoming one with it. It seemed to grow bigger afterward; the mass being absorbed into its being.


    The sight made Harry''s eyes widen. He had been wondering how the monster was able to shake the dresser so much with how small it was, and that answered his question. It merged with other kids, adding their flesh to its own.


    Not that he was particularly happy about figuring that out. Honestly, he could have gone his whole life without knowing and would have been just fine with that.


    Several of the kids who remained retched, adding to the pile they created earlier. Not that Harry could blame them, as he wanted to do the same, but his ghostly figure prevented him from doing so, forcing him to feel the sensation of wanting to throw up without the relief of doing so.


    It was very uncomfortable.


    The only one who didn''t seem to feel the need was Rose, who watched the whole thing in denial. There was no way her brother would do something like that, no matter how mean the person might have been.


    "Brother¡­ What did they do to you?"


    She received no answer, not that she expected to. There was only one person who could, and she wasn''t even a person at all. If she asked The Pretender, she was likely to meet her end.


    No, not likely. It was guaranteed.


    Eventually, the blob stopped growing, having fully assimilated the other boy into its being. Harry could swear the creature looked a bit more human than it did before, but it was hard to tell in the dim light.


    It then turned its gaze toward the rest of the prisoners, and Harry had a sinking feeling he knew what was about to happen. He hoped he would be proven wrong, damn near prayed for it even, but if there was a God, he was unlikely to answer any prayers.


    This was the Devil''s domain, and God wasn''t welcome here.


    Harry would unfortunately be proven correct, as one by one, the children suffered the same gruesome fate as the one before them. Squeezed through cage bars too small for them to fit, turning their insides into pulp, it added them into its mass.


    Rose begged and pleaded with the thing that used to be her family to stop, but no matter what she said, it refused to listen. It was no longer her brother. She fell to her knees in despair, hands gripping the metal bars tightly as she closed her eyes, refusing to watch any longer.


    But she could still hear them.


    Harry had never wanted to throw up so bad in his life, but was unable to do so. All he could do was dry heave, as tears flowed down his face. He begged for the creature to stop as well, but his voice was even less successful than Rose''s, considering he couldn''t be heard at all.


    After who knows how long, the screams finally stopped. Harry stopped heaving as well, taking massive gulps of air. If there was one thing he learned from this, it was don''t touch weird drawings.


    Looking up, Harry saw every cage that had a child in it was now empty, save for one.


    Rose.


    She was staring at the scene in front of her with blank, empty eyes. It was like the first time he saw her. She had given up. Her brother dying caused a spark of life to enter her, but that had been snuffed out by the cruelty of the world.


    Deep, agonized breaths drew Harry''s attention back towards the monster, who stood nearly three times the height it started at. It now more resembled the beast Harry knew, even if he only caught the barest glimpse of it before.


    But no matter how much he stared, it refused to come into focus. He could only make out the outline of the fiend, its whole body blurry and obscured by darkness. The light that shone before was starting to dim, more and more.


    The last thing Harry saw was the tendril of the monster reaching for Rose''s cage. "Somebody¡­ help," she pleaded, barely above a whisper.


    But Harry heard her, and took off at a sprint, not being able to ignore her cry for help, no matter how soft it was. He knew he couldn''t do anything, but he was still determined to try.


    "Rose!" he called out, reaching for her, but the world faded into total darkness.

 To Hope Anew

    Six stared at her friend, unsure of what to say. The story he told, while not unbelievable, was still disturbing. She hasn''t heard of one of the residents performing some kind of ritual before. It was almost too hard to believe.


    But she doubted Harry was lying. What reason could he have? And from what she''s seen of the other room, it seemed to check out. The pieces fit, as much as she didn''t want to believe it.


    But to think he was actually able to travel back in time, at least to some extent. It was a baffling concept, and her head hurt just thinking about it. His power, magic he called it, was something else. It was as detrimental as it was helpful, at least until he learned to control it.


    A true double edged sword.


    The two sat in silence for a while, unsure of what to say. Harry had his knees drawn to his chest, staring at nothing in particular. Six couldn''t blame him for it this time. Even she would need some time to get her head right after witnessing what he did.


    Like the time she witnessed what The Craftsman does to kids he captures, the process of turning them into dolls. It was no less horrifying than what Harry just described. The screaming, the blood, the pleas to stop, and the one question they repeat over and over again.


    Why?


    Six shivered involuntarily. She doubted they had a true reason as to why they did such acts. It was more like it was their purpose, and they had nothing else. No other desire, no will to pursue something that didn''t cause such pain and suffering. Nothing but the pure instinct to enact misery wherever they go.


    This world truly is a rotten place. But even so, there were one or two bright points, shining beacons that cast away the shadows and illuminated the way forward. Her last friend had been one such point, and her current friend was another.


    And she didn''t like seeing him like this. It caused a knot to form in the pit of her stomach. Even if she''s only known him for a day, less actually, it didn''t matter. They were in this together now.


    They would either escape this place, or they would die.


    In order to do that, she first needed to knock him out of his funk, but how to do so? Thinking back to the story he just told, her mind wandered to the parts that were slightly irrelevant. The ones that had little to do with what was actually happening.


    There was one thing he mentioned, something she doubted he even realized he went off on a tangent about. Hope, or his lack thereof.


    Not that she could blame him for that either. Hope was a hard thing to find, especially in a place like this. Until recently, she herself had all but given up on the concept, resigning herself to a life of nothing but survival.


    But then, something happened. Something changed her entire perspective, and an emotion she buried for the sake of survival, climbed its way out of the grave.


    Harry showed her hope.


    It was such a little thing, that feeling, and yet it held depths too deep to fathom. A small pool of water transformed into a raging tide, forcing the person trapped inside the rapids to follow its currents.


    That was what she experienced the moment Harry showed her that key. She was swept up in the torrent of that emotion called hope. Perhaps that''s what he needed now, a reminder that not all things are lost.


    Six dug around in her pocket, removing the object in question. Her fingers trailed over the smooth metal of the key, taking special care to feel the nicks and scratches with her fingertips.


    Such a little thing, and yet more precious than any amount of gold. At least to her. This small, seemingly insignificant thing, was her hope. The symbol that escape was in fact possible.


    And the person next to her was the reason she could feel this way. She owed it to him to bring him out of his funk, no matter how many times it happened.


    Although, she wished it didn''t happen so often. This was like, the third time in a single day. Not a productive pattern to have, especially when it comes to escaping this place, or survival in general. Hopefully it would happen less as time went on, otherwise, they were in for some issues down the road.


    Holding the key in her hand, she carefully scooted up next to Harry, until their bodies were nearly touching, "Hey, Hairy?" He turned to look at her, with a melancholy expression on his face, one that hasn''t changed since he woke up.


    "Yeah? What is it?" he asked. Six gingerly took his hands in hers, and gently placed the key inside of them. He was surprised by the gesture, giving her a confused look.


    "Uh, Six? Why did you¡­?" he asked, leaving the question open. She gave him a soft smile in return, and Harry was even able to see it this time. Seems like she was getting better at it, at least a little bit.


    "Do you know what that is?" she questioned. Harry continued to look confused, even as he inspected the object in his hand, his fingers tracing the same grooves etched into the metal that Six did.


    "Uh, it''s a key, right?" he answered, sounding unsure of himself. At the very least he wasn''t looking like a sad puppy that lost his favorite toy anymore, so that was something.


    "It''s more than that," Six said, leaning back against the wall. The two of them were somewhat hidden underneath a table, a large grandfather clock to one side, and a tablecloth dangling over the edge, obstructing them from view.


    It wasn''t the best hiding spot, but it was the best she could do while Harry told his story. She insisted they move away from the vomit underneath the table on the opposite side. It was a rather pungent aroma, one that she could still smell from here.


    That bird smelled even worse coming up than it did going down, as hard as that was for her to believe. Honestly, the rats smelled better when cooked, and that was something she didn''t think was possible.


    Harry continued to stare at his friend, even as she focused on a spot on the wall, the smile never leaving her face. But it was her words that shook him to this core.


    "It''s hope. Hope that this place can be escaped, that there''s more to life than just surviving. You gave that to me, so don''t give up on it now."


    Harry''s eyes widened as her words reached him. He knew how much that little thing meant to her, at least on an intellectual level, but it was hard to feel. He hasn''t been trapped here for who knows how long, desperately surviving against the monsters that roamed these festering halls.


    But she had. Watching as others weren''t so lucky, falling victim to The Residents or other creatures that called this place home. Even losing the one friend she had made up until this point.


    Her eyes when they first met were just like his. Eyes that didn''t believe they would ever see a brighter tomorrow. That this life of misery was all life had to offer. And what kind of life was that?


    But now, ever since he gave her that key, a new light shone in the depths. Her face seemed so much brighter than before, though if you didn''t know her you probably wouldn''t notice. And even though he didn''t know her all that well, considering he met her yesterday, it was enough to recognize the similarities they both possessed, and the little changes that no one else would.


    With one little trinket, her whole life took on a new meaning. There was still some amounts of despair and disbelief, emotions that would probably follow her till the end of her days, but there was also something new shining forth.


    Hope.


    That awful emotion that promised something better but failed to deliver time after time. It was hard to believe that someone like Six, someone so similar to himself, would cling to the lying scoundrel named hope.


    But if she could find the courage to hope again, what was his excuse? His hope for so long was to escape his relatives, to never have to see them again. And it looks like that hope was realized, though not in a manner he ever believed possible.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    He was reminded of the story about the monkey''s paw, an object that grants wishes. It would grant you your wish, sure, but if you weren''t specific about what you desired and more importantly, how you desired to receive it, it would do it in a way that you wouldn''t want.


    Just like Harry. He wanted to escape his family, and while he did so, he was now trapped somewhere even worse. Maybe The Ferryman had a refund policy?


    Before he knew it, Harry felt tears fall down his face. Small drops of salty water fell from his eyes, landing on the very object in his hand that caused them in the first place. But unlike the tears he''s always shed until now, tears of pain and sadness, of loneliness so great it seeped into his bones, these were tears of gratitude.


    Maybe he could hope, just a little. It might backfire on him in the end, but as long as he had his friend by his side, anything was possible. They would escape this hilltop manor, and after that, they would find a way to rid themselves of this awful world all together.


    That''s how he felt anyway.


    "Thank you Six," Harry said, wiping the tears from his eyes. He wasn''t entirely successful, as he felt new ones appear to replace the old. He gave her a watery smile of his own, handing her back the key, the symbol of their hope.


    It was just too bad their hope took the image of a creepy eye, but beggars can''t be choosers.


    "Anytime. But you know, this is becoming a bad habit of yours. This is the third time I''ve had to snap you out of some kind of trance," Six told him, with a bit of tease in her voice. Harry snorted in amusement, as the tears finally seemed to dry up. He was glad she didn''t mention it.


    "I''ll work on it," he joked back. The two sat in companionable silence for a bit, enjoying the moment of calm. Ever since they met, it''s been one harrowing moment after the next. Not even sleep offered them much of a respite.


    They would like to say they were enjoying the peace and quiet, but with the tick-tocking of the clocks, that was impossible. If Six didn''t know better, she would say they were getting louder, just to spite them.


    She looked at her friend, opening her mouth to ask something, but closing it just as fast. She almost looked like a fish, not that Harry was brave enough to tell her that.


    "I''m ok. You can ask," he told her. She still appeared hesitant, but managed to get her question out, gripping the brass eye in her hand firmly.


    "Do you have any idea what they were trying to do?"


    Harry''s mind wandered back to the room, back to the moment in time The Pretender started whatever spell she was trying to do. He wished he had the forethought to inspect the book she was holding, but he was too scared to do so in the moment, his feet rooted to the ground, like they were caked in cement.


    Maybe if he could understand what The Pretender was saying it would be a different story, but he couldn''t. Her words were a garbled mess that felt harsh to his ears. But that was the joy of hindsight, realizing what you should have done.


    "I can''t be sure, not without that book she was carrying. And even then I don''t know if I could read it. If I had to make a guess, I''d say she was trying to make something," he told her with a sigh. He wished he could provide more insight, since he was their resident magical expert, but he couldn''t.


    Honestly, Six likely knew more about it than he did, considering she''s been here so much longer than he has. His expertise came from what little he was able to do with his magic, the small amounts he''s been able to figure out.


    It wasn''t like there was a school to learn this stuff.


    Six appeared perturbed by his hypothesis, her own mind wandering to past experiences in this very house. But after some time, she came back empty. Nothing she has seen or even heard explained what happened in that room. It was completely new to her as well.


    And she didn''t like that. Until now, she believed the only reason they were here, the reason for this manor''s existence, was to turn children into dolls for the amusement of The Pretender. But now, there seems to be a different objective entirely.


    Like being turned into dolls wasn''t bad enough, they could become monsters too? What more could they want? What else could they take from them?


    She leaned her head back against the wall, feeling the beginning of a headache. Seems like nothing could be simple for them here, could it?


    "Well, it doesn''t change much I guess. Getting captured was always a death sentence, this is just one more reason to avoid it," she said. Harry gave her a nod, agreeing with her point. Getting turned into a doll or a monster, either way, you were dead.


    Though, if Harry had to choose, he would probably go with doll, seeing as if he were to become a monster, he would end up killing innocent people.


    Or worse, killing Six. That wasn''t something he wanted to think about.


    "Alright, that''s enough moping around. I think it''s time we continued on," said Harry, crawling out from under the table. He stood up and stretched, trying to remove the stiffness from his muscles. It felt like he was clenching every one he had, and some he wasn''t aware of.


    He''d be feeling that tomorrow, that''s for sure. Probably the day after, too.


    Six followed him out, placing the key back in her pocket. He was right, they''ve spent enough time here, it was time to move on. They still needed to find a fuse, and they couldn''t do that sitting around all day.


    It would be morning soon, and she would like to find the thing before The Residents woke up. Not to mention getting into The Pretender''s room to look for clues on the other key''s whereabouts. She wasn''t sure if it was on this floor or the one below it, so they needed to be thorough.


    "So, where to next?" asked her companion, looking over at her. Six thought about it for a moment, before she shrugged. While they needed to inspect everywhere, it didn''t really matter much where they started.


    "Why not the room right across from us?" she suggested.


    "Sounds good to me," Harry said.


    As the two began to make their way towards their next destination, a gurgling sound caught their attention. It was familiar to them, and Six noticed a suspicious blush on her friend''s cheek.


    "Hungry?" she asked, giving him another amused look. His blush deepened, and he gave her a sheepish look. "Yeah, kinda. I did lose my dinner after all," he said, indicating his pile of vomit on the floor.


    Six crinkled her nose in disgust, having nearly forgotten about it. Now that she was reminded, the smell came back two-fold. She gave him a glare, one that lacked any real heat to it, poking him in his empty stomach.


    "How dare you ruin all my hard work like that. I go to all the trouble to feed you and this is the thanks I get?"


    Harry backed up, holding his hands up in surrender. He gave her a nervous look as he apologized, hoping to placate her. Even if she wasn''t really angry about it after hearing the story behind it, she still wanted him to know she didn''t appreciate her hard work going to waste.


    "Fine, just don''t let it happen again," she warned. After giving her threat, she spun around, heading for the door. Harry held his breath, sighing in relief. She didn''t seem all that angry, not really, but at the same time, it was better safe than sorry.


    Not like he enjoyed throwing up in the first place. He would like to avoid it as much as he could, so he had no problem agreeing to her demand.


    He made no promises though.


    The pair reached the entrance to a brand new room, looking up at the door. Like the ones before it, this one was also made from an aged, warped wood, though in much better condition than the previous ones. Including the one right behind them.


    And of course, there was also a large eye carved from the same wood, staring down at them, daring them to enter. The brass, lever style handle was, of course, too high up. Harry was just glad they used those style of knobs, rather than the round ones he was used to. If they had, the two of them would never get the door open.


    With a sigh, Harry offered to once again boost her up, but Six shook her head. "I''ll let you go this time."


    He shrugged his shoulders as she bent down and interlocked her fingers. Last time he had something to prove, as Six gave him a look that said she doubted he could lift her. After proving her wrong, he had no problem being the one to receive the boost.


    What Harry didn''t know is that Six wanted him to do it because last time the door collapsed. She did not feel like slamming into the ground again.


    That''s if the door even opened in the first place.


    Luckily for them, it did. And luckily for Harry, it didn''t collapse either. It swung open with barely a squeak, and he let go just as he passed the threshold. He pushed the door open the rest of the way, slowly revealing more and more of the room.


    Six hung back a bit, looking inside for any sign of trouble. When nothing appeared out of the shadowy room ready to spear them, she let out a small sigh of relief. With how yesterday went, she half expected another new monster to show up.


    Seems like she worried for nothing. But it was far too soon to let her guard down. Anything could happen at any time. Danger lurked around every corner, ready to corner the unwitting and drag them into an early grave.


    The pair gave each other a look, before tentatively entering the new room. Harry sincerely hoped there would be no surprises in store for them, but he had his doubts. It seemed like they couldn''t go two steps without something popping up to shock the system.


    Well, as long as it wasn''t another magic circle leading to unknown horrors, he would be fine with it.


    The room they entered was dark, with dimly lit lanterns illuminating the room in a warm glow. They flickered slightly, just like real lanterns, making the shadows dance across the walls.


    On the far end was what appeared to be a white cloth, gently dangling down the wall. Curtains lined either side of the cloth, deep purple, with holes carving great chunks out of them.


    Looks like the moth had a late night snack.


    Numerous chairs were arranged in a haphazard manner, that if one were to look closely, might appear to be lines. Crooked, jagged lines, but lines nonetheless. And in the center of the chairs was a much larger one, a recliner like the one Harry''s uncle loved to laze in.


    But it wasn''t the chairs themselves that caught their attention and filled them with dread. Nor was it the way they were arranged, which while maddening in its own right, wasn''t distressing.


    No, the thing that had them worried was what was in the chairs themselves. Dolls, dozens of them, all placed neatly in their individual chairs, all facing the same direction. It was rather unnerving, to see so many bodies, and not a single one making a sound.


    How could they? Each and every one of them were dead.


    Harry shivered and gripped Six''s hand unconsciously, something she didn''t shy away from. The silence and the lighting, combined, created an eerie atmosphere.


    "What is this room?" Harry whispered, as if he was afraid the dolls would hear him and take offense. He wasn''t sure if it was possible, but he didn''t want to take the chance.


    "I think¡­ It''s a movie theater," Six responded, also in a whisper. Though she was quiet most of the time, she also didn''t want to take the chance of the dead coming back to haunt them.


    Giving the room another look, Harry came to the same conclusion as his friend. They were definitely in a creepy simulacrum of a movie theater. One without any show, and that was silent as a graveyard.


    And it might as well have been one, considering all the corpses inside of it. All lined up in not so neat rows.


    However, with this revelation, and Harry''s hunger, he only had one question on his mind¡­


    "Think they have popcorn?"

 Cinema Cemetery

    Harry and Six cautiously made their way further into the dimly lit room. It was somewhat frustrating that the only areas that seemed well so far were the hallways. Was it to save on the cost of electricity?


    Did they even have electric bills? More questions with no answers, but at least this room had the convenient excuse of being a theater for why the lighting was so dull.


    The imitation torch light beside them flickered violently, causing the shadowy specters that danced along the walls to jump, making Harry do the same. His nerves had been significantly frayed by his experience in the past.


    Literally.


    He felt Six beside him gently squeeze his hand. He''d almost forgotten she was there. He squeezed back, letting her know he was fine. Or at least, as fine as he could be. He was surrounded by the dead after all, kind of hard to define what fine was in this situation.


    As long as this didn''t turn into a b-rated zombie movie, he''d take it.


    The pair walked past the unseeing corpses of children, quiet as a mouse. They may not be able to disturb the dead, hopefully, but that didn''t mean there weren''t other things that couldn''t be disturbed.


    But to their collective relief, it seemed like nothing was going to reach out and get them. At least not right now. They made it to the end of the room, eyes straining to find something of importance, specifically a fuse.


    But to their frustration, they couldn''t spot anything of importance, nothing that immediately screamed, "Look at me, I''m special!"


    They stared up at the large screen in front of them. It was hard to tell from the entrance of the room, but the screen was filthy. Splotches of who knows what decorated the thing like it was a child''s painting. The more worrisome grime was the dark red stains intermingled amongst the muck.


    Harry shivered, and suddenly felt like he was being watched. He turned his head, staring behind him, seeing nothing but the mockery of life staring back at him. Their eyes, pale and blank, contained numerous accusations within.


    Six seemed to feel it too, as she frowned. Looking out upon the deceased, she was reminded of the brutality of the world. The consequences of capture. The result of letting one''s guard down.


    She clenched her fists, once more vowing that she would never end up like them. A toy for someone else''s sick entertainment. A doll, an imitation of what she once was. No, she refused to become one of them, no matter what.


    A firm grip on her hand drew her out of her ruminations. She glanced to her right, seeing her friend look at her with concern. It was nice, knowing that someone cared for her. With a deep breath, she released her fears and frustrations, giving them back to the void from whence they came.


    She gripped his hand back, and he gave her a small smile. It was considerably dimmer from his normal ones, not that she could blame him. This room was disturbing to say the least.


    "You good?" Harry whispered. His voice may have been low, barely able to be heard under normal circumstances, but here, in this theatrical mausoleum, he may as well have been shouting at the top of his lungs.


    "Yeah," Six responded, just as loud. She winced at the sound of her own voice. Quiet was good, quiet was safe. So why was it that when she wanted to be quiet, everything she did sounded so loud?


    Harry gave her a nod, before looking back out across the room, a grimace on his face. She understood, the room wasn''t easy to look at. Or more accurately, what was in the room.


    "So, what now?" he asked, not turning back to look at her. That was good, she thought. It was better to keep himself scanning the room for threats. So far nothing happened, but the atmosphere made it impossible to relax.


    The constant reminder of what could befall them led to a feeling of abject paranoia. Six idly wondered of the dead despised the living, for having what they could not. For succeeding where they failed.


    Best not to think about. If the dead hated the living so much, that would likely be a bad thing. They outnumbered the living by a wide margin after all.


    But back to Harry''s question, she wasn''t sure. It didn''t seem like there was anything useful in here. Nothing but dead kids. Not even the popcorn he joked about could be found.


    She was starting to think the whole room was a bust, nothing but a waste of time. However, right as she was about to say something to that effect, and suggest they look elsewhere, a small glint caught her attention.


    The lights around them just so happened to flicker at the right moment to emphasize something shiny resting on the arm of the largest chair, the one right dab in the center of the room.


    It may have been nothing, but it still may have been worth investigating. One never knows what they may find if they never look. And Six was a curious child.


    "There, on the recliner," she said, pointing it out. Harry squinted his eyes to see what she was indicating, and the flickering lights revealed to him the mysterious glint, much as it had for his friend.


    "I see it. What do you think it is?" he asked, turning to look at her. She shrugged her shoulders, "We won''t know unless we check."


    Harry nodded at that. The statement was true enough, but he thought he saw a gleam of excitement in her eyes, but it was gone just as fast as it appeared. Maybe even faster.


    Must have been his imagination, or a trick of the light. There was no way she was excited about some random, shiny object. She was far too serious and focused on survival for that.


    Right?


    Regardless, they had nothing better to do than check. So they made their way into the center of the room, surrounding themselves with the dead. It wasn''t a place either of them really wanted to be, all things considered, but they needed to know what the thing was.


    Turns out, it was a remote. A large, silver one with only a single, red button resting in the center.


    Actually, looking at it more closely, it wasn''t in the center. It was slightly to the side and down a little. The sight made Harry''s eye twitch for unknown reasons. It wasn''t like the position changed whatever function it had, so why did the sight of it infuriate him so much?


    Six noticed his aggravation and raised a curious eyebrow. What had him so upset? Looking at the remote that seemingly enraged him, she tried to reason why it had such an affect on him.


    It took her a few moments to realize what likely had made him upset, and when she did, she gave him an amused look. She could admit some irritation at the button''s positioning, but not to the point of actual anger.


    This new side of her friend was a bit unexpected, but funny all the same. As long as it didn''t lead to him doing something stupid, she would continue to take amusement from it.


    "Are you trying to destroy it with your stare?" she asked, some of her inner mirth coming though. Though she found the whole thing funny, her question was serious. There was a chance he could actually do something like that.


    "Huh? No, I¡­" Harry stuttered, having been snapped out of his OCD induced fury. He looked away from her, having noticed the merriment shining in her eyes, with a blush coloring his cheeks.


    He cleared his throat, quietly mind you, and tried to get his embarrassment under control. "So¡­ what should we do with this?" he asked.


    That was a good question, and Six wasn''t sure of the answer. There was no telling what pressing the button could do. It could make a loud noise, turn all the lights on, reveal a secret door¡­ There was no telling what it would do.


    But considering what it was, where it was placed, and where they were, there was a good chance it turned on the screen in some capacity. Which was likely to be both bright and loud.


    She wasn''t sure it was worth the risk. Besides, what kind of movies did they watch in this place? Six wasn''t one for gambling, but she felt it was a safe bet that she would find whatever it was disturbing.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Though, not much could be worse than the multitude of blank, lifeless stares permeating the room they were in. The only thing worse that she could think of was the process that turned them into these things in the first place.


    She deeply and sincerely hoped to never see that shown on the big screen.


    "I''m not sure. Pressing it could be¡­" she said, leaving the sentence hanging. Not that Harry needed her to finish it. He knew pressing the big, red, off center button could be dangerous.


    But at the same time, it was a big, red button!


    "I know. But if we''re too afraid to take risks, we may never escape," he said. Six seemed to think about that for a second, her eyes scanning the rest of the room. Besides how creepy it was, nothing in here appeared to want them dead.


    Mostly because they already were. But who knows what the noise could attract, if it even made noise in the first place. She could be worried for nothing.


    However, there was something that caught her attention once more. A pair of empty seats, not quite adjacent but close enough. It appears the show wasn''t as sold out as she thought.


    It did give her an idea though. "Fine, we press it. But if something happens, we can hide there," she said, pointing to the empty seats. Harry looked to where she was pointing and made a face.


    He thought she was indicating a table to hide beneath, or something to crawl into. But no, there was nothing like that in this room. Even the chairs were too small to hide underneath, being made at the right height for children.


    Which was a first. Most everything was decidedly not made for kids, which while frustrating, was usually manageable. This was the first time he was annoyed at something being the correct size for himself.


    The one time he wanted something to be big enough to hide under, was the one time it wasn''t. But maybe it was even better, in a morbid sort of way. Where better to hide a tree than a forest?


    Where better to hide two kids than amongst their deceased peers?


    "Alright, fine. But I get to press the button," he said. Six rolled her eyes, but didn''t argue the point. The desire to see what the button did was greater than her desire to press it anyway.


    Harry grabbed the remote, finding it lighter than he imagined. It looked like it was made of metal, but it turned out to just be plastic, spray painted chrome. Weird choice, not that he would tell them that.


    He gave Six one last glance, and she returned it with a nod. They both prepared themselves to run in the very likely scenario that this went south. Because when did it not?


    With only slight hesitation, Harry gently pressed the button. He winced as he heard it click, but after a few seconds, nothing seemed to happen. They gave each other a confused look.


    "Guess we were worried for noth-"


    But before Harry could finish his sentence, a bright light filled the room and the screen behind them turned on. Or to be more accurate, a light was shining on it from somewhere.


    They jumped slightly at the sudden brightness, which wasn''t all that bright to be honest. It was just, compared to the rest of the room, it may as well have been a spotlight.


    Harry backed up against the large, leathery recliner, waiting for something else to happen. But nothing did. Several seconds ticked by with absolutely nothing happening. Nothing appeared on the screen and there was no sound either.


    Harry released a breath he didn''t know he was holding, turning towards his companion.


    Only to find her missing. Eyes widening in panic, Harry began searching the room for her, wondering how she was able to disappear. There was no way something could have snuck up on them so easily, could it?


    "Six!" he shouted. He knew he shouldn''t yell, but he was worried about her. Frantically looking for her, he noticed a bit of movement to his left. Eye zeroing in on it, he made himself ready to run.


    Only to find himself staring right at Six, sitting there in the chair she designated as her hiding spot. She was completely still, not moving a single centimeter. He couldn''t even tell she was breathing. If he didn''t know any better, he''d never be able to tell the difference between her and the corpse next to her.


    "Really?" he said, giving her a blank look. Her cheeks reddened slightly as she looked away. Guess when the light came on, she immediately dashed toward safety. He couldn''t blame her for it, not really. Self-preservation was a powerful thing.


    Six stood up, dusting some imaginary dirt off of her clothes. She refused to look at him, even as he approached her.


    "Well, I can safely say it''s a good hiding spot," Harry said, somewhat sarcastically. The embarrassed girl tried to shrug off the feeling. She had nothing to be embarrassed about! They agreed, that if something happened, they would hide.


    And something did happen! It just¡­ wasn''t a threat is all.


    "Of course it is. I picked it after all," she responded, in a false haughty tone, attempting to save some face. Harry snorted in amusement, stopping in front of her.


    "You also left me, abandoned poor little me to an unknown fate. My heart burns from the betrayal," Harry claimed, clutching his chest dramatically. Six rolled her eyes and pushed him away slightly, though she did find his mannerisms slightly funny.


    But only slightly.


    Harry chuckled some more at her pouty face. Or as pouty as she could make it. "So, that was a bust," he said with a sigh, indicating the screen behind them. Six''s face returned to its normal, neutral look, as she gave the screen a glance.


    "Seems like it," she sighed. And here she was, hoping it would reveal the mysteries of the universe. Or at least a hint on where to go. But all they got was a blank screen.


    "You should turn it off. No reason to attract unwanted attention," she said.


    "Not a bad idea," Harry agreed. But as he went to click the button, it was his turn to notice something. It wasn''t as small as a remote or as inconspicuous as a couple of empty chairs, but it was interesting all the same.


    It was the projector, shining the image of nothing onto the screen. More than that, he could see it was coming from another room, nestled above them. Leading into it was a ladder, one just big enough for them to climb. He never would have seen it without the light from the projector illuminating more of the room.


    "Well, would you look at that," he said with a grin. Six, confused, turned to see what had caught his eye.


    "Interesting," she stated simply. She was a bit annoyed by the fact she didn''t think to look at where the light was coming from. Her disappointment from the blank screen and embarrassment from running and hiding distracted her enough she didn''t think about it.


    It was a mistake, and mistakes were often costly. But this time they were none the worse for wear. Thankfully. But she would have to remember to be on the ball from now on.


    "Guess we should check it out," Harry suggested. Six nodded in agreement. She couldn''t help but feel somewhat excited. Normally, investigating somewhere new only filled her with caution, if not outright dread. But now, with the clear and concise goal of escaping, she couldn''t wait to explore.


    Hope really was a dangerous emotion, wasn''t it?


    Not like she didn''t want to escape before, but she wasn''t convinced the keys even existed. The door, sure, but no one had found the keys until now. And now that they have, now that she knew the possibility of escape was real, well¡­


    She was eager to explore everywhere she could. Not that it made her any less cautious, but she was taking larger risks than she was used to. If anything, she needed to be more cautious.


    "I''ll go first," Six stated, with Harry giving a nod. He didn''t mind and would gladly play lookout until she gave the all clear.


    Leaving the projector on for now, so it could provide a bit more light, she slowly climbed the ladder. Like most things in the house, it wasn''t built properly. The steps were uneven and crooked, and it rattled and shook with every step she took.


    But it seemed to be sturdy enough. Six reached the top poking her head out just enough to see into the room, scanning it for enemies.


    The room itself was fairly small, reminding Six of the scattered, "safe" rooms across the mansion. Unfortunately, the entrance itself was too big for her to feel comfortable, as it was the same sized opening as a regular door frame.


    In the corner of the room were empty film canisters, with a single chest sitting near the projector. A thin coating of dust covered the floor, indicating it had been some time since anyone had been up here.


    But if that were the case, what movies did they watch? Or did The Pretender just watch a blank screen? Six wouldn''t put it past her to pretend to watch a movie. It was in her name after all.


    After double and triple checking her surroundings, she gave a sigh of relief, "It''s all good," she called down, before climbing fully into the room. Harry nodded and began to make the journey up himself. Thankfully, it wasn''t too far, and before long, he was standing next to his friend.


    "So, see anything useful?" he asked. Six shook her head as she walked further inside, Harry hot on her heels. The two of them searched the room, but the only real points of interest were the projector and the chest next to it.


    With nothing better to do, they decided to open it. The chest itself was nearly as tall as they were, with a dull, red coloring and brass inlays creating a haphazard pattern.


    The paint itself was chipping in several areas, and the metal could use a good polishing, but other than that, it seemed to be in decent condition.


    Unfortunately, it was locked. Harry growled in frustration. "Great, so one more thing we have to find."


    Without knowing where the second key to the secret exit was, they needed to check everything. It was unlikely it was inside, but that was a risk they couldn''t take. Unless they found out for sure what they needed wasn''t inside, they had no choice but to search for a key.


    Hopefully, it wasn''t as big as the last one Harry found. That sucker was big.


    Six understood his frustration, but at the same time, she was happy to have a goal in mind. There was a chest, and it needed a key. Simple. Getting it may not be, but knowing they needed it was.


    "I could try my magic," Harry suggested. Six thought about it for a moment, before shaking her head. "Better not. We don''t want to risk damaging what''s inside. Even if it isn''t the key we need, it could still be something valuable."


    "Yeah you''re probably right," he said. She watched as her irritated friend leaned back against the wall opposite of the projector. His arms crossed over his chest as he glared petulantly at the locked chest.


    But then she heard what sounded like a clicking sound. The wall behind Harry opened up, revealing a secret room. He yelped in surprise as he fell to the floor.


    "You ok?" Six asked as she helped him up.


    "Think so," he said while rubbing the back of his head. He''d probably end up with a small bruise, but other than that he was right as rain.


    The two of them stared at the newly revealed room. There wasn''t much there, save for three things. The first was a painting on the far wall, showing some kind of sculpture. It looked like something Davinci would come up with, and neither could make heads or tails of its purpose.


    The second thing was a round pedestal, or almost round. Like most things in this place, it was slightly off, which irritated Harry once more. It looked like it came straight out of ancient Greece and was surprisingly in pristine condition. Not a single piece of it was chipped or marred in anyway, which was a first for them.


    Especially Six. The only things that seemed to be in even remotely similar condition are those things that belonged to The Pretender.


    The third and final thing was a medallion of some kind. A light shone overhead, illuminating the inconspicuous little thing. It was made out of gold, or at least it appeared to be. Any other details were impossible to make out at their distance.


    Seeing this, however, left Harry disappointed. "So, not a key then?"

 All That is Gold

    Six stared at the room with the suspiciously convenient item taunting them to grab it. She looked above, trying to spot where the light came from, but it seemed to come from nowhere. If it was so high up she couldn''t see it, then it shouldn''t be possible for the light to reach all the way down here.


    So something wanted them to see this thing. Emphasized its importance with light. She couldn''t help but feel like she was a dog being led by a leash. And the worst part was, she likely didn''t have a choice but to follow the commands.


    Whatever that medallion looking thing was, it was likely important. She was certain they would need it for something or other. What that was, she couldn''t say. It was impossible to do so.


    But they needed it, of that she was all but certain. It didn''t appear like there were any traps in the room, none that seemed so obvious at any rate. Naturally, those tended to be the worst ones. Unknown danger was almost always worse, even if for the sole reason of your own imagination.


    "So, what''s the plan?" asked Harry. She thought about it for a moment. While there were no obvious signs of traps, that didn''t mean there weren''t any. The threat of safety was a potent lure, one she was loath to fall for.


    She remembered some kids, whose names she either couldn''t remember or was never told, walking through a hallway with a confident swagger. Time had made them overconfident, and dulled their natural paranoia.


    They never made it out of the hall. The traps were obvious, and because of that, they never expected that they were layered. The ones able to be seen hid the ones that weren''t. And thus, they perished.


    The how wasn''t what she wanted to remember, only recalling it was gruesome, it was the why she lingered on. Their cocky, self-assured natures lead them to ruin. But their loss was her gain, and she learned a powerful lesson from their deaths, as morbid as it was.


    Never underestimate the world.


    "I''ll go in first, make sure nothing is wrong. I should be able to jump onto the pillar and get whatever that thing is. If something happens, back me up with your magic," she said.


    Harry didn''t like the sound of that, but he couldn''t think of an alternative besides going in himself. There wasn''t anything around they could use as a bridge, and there was no rope either, or anything they could use to snatch it from a distance.


    No, their only option was for one of them to enter. And as much as Harry wanted to go himself, to keep his friend from danger, he knew that was an impossibility, especially in this place. All he could reasonably do was try and mitigate the threat as much as he could.


    And this time, that meant letting her go inside herself. She did have far more experience in this place, so if anything did happen, she was the most able to deal with it without any powers. And if something did happen, he could provide some kind of aid.


    Hopefully.


    He did feel a warmth in his chest at the trust she was showing him in this moment. Enough that she was willing to place her life in his hands. He was determined to show her it was not misplaced.


    "Alright, but be careful," he said, and she rolled her eyes. Who did he think she was? She was always careful. But she was still happy he cared.


    "Of course," she responded. With the plan set, Six entered the small hidden room. The floor beneath her was tiled into squares, all seemingly the same color, size and shape. It was strange how uniform it was, considering the rest of the house.


    What was even more shocking was its cleanliness. Not a single speck of dust covered even an inch of it, unlike the room behind her, which was covered in a thin layer of it. Something she was now tracking inside, as small dirty footprints followed in her wake.


    She carefully placed one foot in front of the other, making sure the floor would hold and there weren''t any invisible traps beneath her as well. That was all she needed, for the floor to collapse.


    But so far, nothing happened, and before long, she stood in front of the pillar. With a glance back at Harry, she saw him give her a thumbs up, nearly making her snort in amusement.


    She turned back around, and jumped up, grabbing the side of the pillar and hauling herself up. Standing there, she could now see the shiny thing that caught her attention. The second shiny thing, that is, the remote being the other.


    It was indeed shaped like a medallion, thick and round, with the image of an eye proudly carved in the center. No shocker there. Several lines jutted out from the eye, or perhaps towards it, she couldn''t tell.


    But the strangest thing was the spiked points jutting out from the sides, each one connecting to a line. She wondered what their purpose could be. If this was a medallion meant to be worn, that seems like it would pose quite the hazard.


    There also seemed to be no space for a chain to slide into. So that means this thing, whatever it was, wasn''t meant to be worn. But if that was the case, then what was its purpose?


    Looking up from the medallion beneath her, Six could now get a much better look at the painting as well. The sculpture, or rather, the machine depicted was a marvel of crisscrossing metal and wood. She could see what looked like gears assembled beneath it, meaning that whatever it was contained moving parts.


    Just as she was about to look away, deeming the strange thing as unimportant, a small crevice drew her eye. It was shaped very similarly to the shiny thing below her. Was it meant to be inserted onto this machine, wherever it was? So, that would make the medallion a key then.


    Harry would be thrilled to learn of it. He was oh so disappointed to learn this room didn''t contain a key, so she couldn''t wait to share the happy news with him.


    Seeing as there was nothing else of interest in the room, Six decided it was time to make her escape. All that was left to do was grab the object beneath her and high tail it out of here.


    But of course, that singular action is where things took a turn for the worst. As soon as Six removed the medallion, a hidden mechanism underneath it rose up, and a horrible rumbling shook the area.


    "Six!" Harry shouted in alarm, watching as his friend tried to keep her balance as the pedestal she stood on trembled violently. Thankfully, she has excellent balance, so she wasn''t in immediate danger.


    However, things soon went from bad to worse, as the tiles surrounding the pedestal began to fall, one by one, into a void that appeared out of nowhere. Looking at the seemingly endless chasm that trapped his friend, Harry wasn''t sure how she was able to walk across the tiles.


    Magic, perhaps? Or maybe there used to be a floor beneath the tiles that collapsed when the trap activated? Either way, it was gone now, and that was a problem. Six had no way across, and Harry doubted she could jump far enough.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    He might be able to find something to use as a bridge, down below in the mausoleum, but he was concerned that the pedestal itself may be the next thing to go.


    Before he could make up his mind or ask Six, the decision was taken from him as the door he discovered by accident began to close, attempting to trap Six within. He couldn''t let that happen. There had to be something he could do!


    Thinking fast, he had an idea. A crazy, yet simple idea that should just work. All Six would have to do was time it correctly, and she should be able to escape.


    "Hey Six, I have a plan," he said, trying to slow the door down using brute force. Unfortunately for him, he was little more than a twig, and the door continued to close, ignoring him completely.


    "I''m all ears," she responded, arms outstretched to keep her balance. It wasn''t nearly as bad as the room with the birds, but that was no reason to get complacent. One wrong move and she would fall for who knows how long.


    "I''ll try and slow the door down with my magic. Then you can jump on it and use it as a springboard to get out," he said. Six thought about it for a moment, for that was all she could spare. If the door closed, she would have no choice but to see where the fall would take her.


    But as far as plans went, it wasn''t bad, and it was easy enough to execute. The shaking might make it a bit more difficult, but as long as she didn''t mess anything up and nothing unexpected happened again, she should make it out in one piece.


    "Sounds good," she agreed. She didn''t have any better ideas, and stepping on the raised slab of marble that appeared when she removed the medallion did absolutely nothing, so there was no way to stop what was happening.


    Harry nodded his head and took a few steps back from the door. He closed his eyes and held his hands out, facing the door. Concentrating on the well of power that existed deep within himself, he grabbed hold of it, bending it to his will.


    The door slowed noticeably, and they could hear the grinding of the gears as it tried to continue on its path. But Harry wouldn''t let it, even as he struggled to hold it back. He needed to do this, he refused to lose his only friend.


    "Alright, whenever you''re ready!" he shouted. He didn''t mean to, but he couldn''t hold it back. Six could hear the strain in his voice, and knew she didn''t have long to perform her part of the plan.


    But she also knew she couldn''t perform her part haphazardly either. She had one shot, like so many times before, to get this right. And she didn''t plan to fail, not when she could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how small it may seem.


    When the door became perpendicular to the pedestal, she made her move. But not before pacing the medallion in her pocket. It wouldn''t do to lose the thing that caused this whole mess in the first place.


    Six made her jump, easily grabbing onto the top of the door. She looked over to Harry, and frowned as she noticed his burdened face. Using his magic like this took a lot out of him, and he''s been forced to use his magic fairly often since they met. He hasn''t had much chance to recover his energy.


    She needed to be quick, if for no other reason than to spare him the suffering of holding back a mechanical contraption. Unlike him, it would never tire, continuing to try and close to the end of time.


    She supposed it could break, but this room seems awfully well kept, so she doubted the pieces holding the door together and making it move were in such rough condition that breaking it would be a plausible strategy.


    She carefully but quickly shimmied her way across the top of the door. Dangling herself over a black void did make her nervous, but thankfully, she''s developed a fairly good grip.


    She kind of had to with all the parkour she''s been forced to do. While she wasn''t grateful for the reason she needed to develop these skills, that reason being survival mostly, she is nonetheless happy to have them.


    The door gave a sudden and violent lurch, causing Six to nearly lose her grip. She looked down at Harry, seeing him struggle to hold it back, with sweat now dripping down his brow. She had to hurry, there was no time left to dawdle.


    The door itself was nearly a quarter of the way closed at this point, meaning she should be able to easily jump into the projector room and escape. She braced her dirty feet against the door and lined up her jump. This was it, do or die.


    Taking one last, deep breath, she jumped, a ripping sound ringing out.


    Harry watched this through half open eyes. The sweat dripping into them stung, and as much as he wanted to wipe his forehead, he didn''t have that luxury at the moment. Holding the door open was taking all of his concentration.


    Which means he was unable to realize Six''s flight path. You see, Harry was standing in the middle of the doorway, and though she intended to land next to him, that plan didn''t pan out the way she believed it would.


    Before Harry knew what was going on, his friend slammed into him, breaking his concentration, allowing the door to slam shut. The pair of them breathed heavily, trying to catch their breath once more.


    "You ok?" Six asked as stared down at him from her perch on top of him.


    "Yeah, you?" he returned, giving her a look, trying to spot any injuries.


    She snorted at his concern, before rolling off of him. "Peachy."


    The two lay there in relative silence, save for their breathing and the sound of the projector going.


    "That was a close one," mumbled Harry as he sat up, staring at his friend, who gave him a blank look from her spot lying on the floor.


    "Yeah. That seems to happen a lot lately," she muttered as well, not wanting to get up yet. The floor, while slightly dirty, felt cool, and she was comfortable at the moment.


    Harry himself was fine with taking a bit of a break from that harrowing experience. Not as bad as getting eaten, but any time he nearly loses a friend is discomforting. Plus, he was feeling pretty tired after that, and wouldn''t mind a bit of a pow-wow.


    "So, what exactly was in that room?" he asked. Six sighed at the question, before forcing herself to sit up as well. She dug around in her pocket, pulling out the medallion she just acquired, and tossing it to him.


    Harry fumbled a bit with it, not expecting her to just throw it at him. He gave her a small glare, which she returned with a look of amusement. He gave the object now in his hands a once over, marveling at the smooth, polished texture.


    Though he did frown at noticing the eye. They really needed a new motif.


    "So, any idea what this is?" he asked. Six rolled her eyes from his bland tone, knowing he wanted to find the key for the chest behind them. Wouldn''t he be shocked?


    "Yeah. I think it''s a key used to operate the contraption from the painting," she explained. Harry looked confused for a moment, before remembering the painting from the now closed off secret room.


    "Not the key I was hoping for. Do you know what that thing is, or where it is?" he asked. His voice held a bit of a grumble to it as he asked, which amused Six. She gave him a shrug in response, making him sigh. Things could never be simple, could they?


    "Well, it''s better to have it if we need it I guess," he said, and Six hummed in agreement. She finally decided she had lazed around enough for the moment, and stood up, stretching her arms out. They had things to do, and not nearly enough time to do them.


    But Harry noticed something as she stood up. Her shirt was ripped open on her left side. "Um, Six?" Harry said, making her look at him. "Yeah?" she asked.


    He pointed to her side, and she groaned in irritation at realizing what he was pointing at. "Great, just what I needed¡­" she muttered.


    Harry himself didn''t see what the big deal was, his shirt was pretty holey as it was. And while he didn''t particularly like that, it didn''t really hinder him in any way. His main problem with his clothes was the size. They were made for a boy twice as big as Harry, at least. Probably more. Maybe it was just different with girls?


    And the hole in her shirt wasn''t the only problem with her attire. The main issue was all the dried blood on it from the bird corpse she prepared last night. That was a health hazard just waiting to happen.


    But it wasn''t as if there were clothes just sitting in a pile waiting for someone to come along and claim them. But wait¡­ actually, there were clothes just sitting around. They may not have been in a pile, but they were there.


    And it''s not like their owners would have much to say about them taking them. They couldn''t speak at all. But even so, knowing they needed new clothes, did not lessen the knot forming at the pit of his stomach at the thought of taking them.


    It was a barbaric thing to do in a civilized world, but then again, they weren''t in a civilized world, were they? No, they currently resided in a world where survival of the fittest took on a brand new meaning.


    Knowing this, and knowing what they needed, removed Harry''s hesitation. Not all of it, but enough to suggest it to Six. If she opposed the idea, then that would be that. But considering who she was, he doubted it would be much of a problem.


    She''s more likely to be upset that she didn''t think of it first.


    "Hey, Six?" he questioned tentatively.


    "Yeah?" she responded without looking at him. Too busy staring at the hole in her shirt.


    "I know where we can get some new clothes," he said. Now that garnered her attention, as she turned to look at him with a curious glint in her ruby red eyes.


    "Oh?"

 Dressed for Success

    Harry wandered through the rows of glassy eyed human dolls, inspecting each one for an appropriate outfit. As it turns out, Six was positively thrilled by the idea of graverobbing. Well, not thrilled exactly, but she didn''t raise any objections.


    So now the two of them were searching for suitable garments. While there were plenty that would fit him, size wise, very few so far met the parameters needed. Those primarily being dull, dark colors that would aid in the life or death game known as hide and seek.


    Harry and Six were always on the hide side of the game, therefore, they needed any advantage they could get to avoid the seekers. Harry did see a rather fetching red jacket, however it was almost startlingly bright. If he were to wear that around, he would be spotted immediately.


    He looked over across the dimly lit room, seeing Six staring at an outfit with a contemplative look on her face. He couldn''t see what she was looking at from his angle, but it was good that at least one of them found something. Now if only he could do the same.


    But he couldn''t shake the feelings of guilt that gnawed at him as he stared at the clothes clinging to the hollowed out corpses of former humans. He shivered at the unseeing eyes, accusing him of crimes he has yet to commit.


    Even though it was his idea, he still balked at the notion of robbing the dead. Six tried to make him feel better by calling it recycling, but it didn''t have the effect she thought it would.


    But he appreciated the effort, as morbid as it was.


    But now wasn''t the time to be squeamish. Neither of them could afford the luxury of dallying around here. Not that he would want to, considering the current occupants. They made for lousy conversationalists.


    Harry sighed as he walked past another unsuitable outfit. He was on the last row now and was running out of options. It wasn''t like he didn''t want to find something decent to wear, but this was the closest thing to shopping he''s ever done, and he wanted to choose the perfect ensemble.


    Too bad their selection left much to be desired. At this rate, he may just have to pick something less than preferable. Even if that were to be the case, he wasn''t leaving without some kind of new clothing.


    Thankfully, it seemed as if his luck wasn''t completely hopeless, just nearly. The body before the last was wearing something he deemed suitable. A dark green shirt with a jacket over top the same color of brown as a dresser. That should help greatly in his stealth attempts.


    The young boy''s lower body was covered by a dusky, tan colored pair of shorts. There was, of course, one thing the corpse was missing. One thing they were all missing, in fact. Or perhaps, saying they were missing two things would be more accurate.


    And that would be shoes. Not a single one of them wore even one shoe, let alone a pair of them. It was utter madness! How could a room filled with dozens of bodies not contain even one shoe!?


    Harry sighed in contempt, rubbing his temples in frustration. He did his best to let go of his irritation, but it was proving difficult. He really wanted a pair of shoes, but it seems he was destined to go without, at least for the time being.


    That didn''t mean he was giving up on the notion. Far from it. Harry was determined to beat the odds and acquire shoes someday, no matter what it took.


    "So, did you find something?" asked a somewhat lifeless voice to his left. Harry turned and saw none other than Six, her near emotionless eyes holding a curious edge to them.


    "Yeah, I think so. What about you?" he asked back. She nodded in response, not wanting to say anymore. And not really needing to either. While she agreed to swapping their clothes with one of the dead, that doesn''t mean she was exactly happy about it either.


    Her joking with Harry earlier was just as much for her benefit as it was for his. She knew the necessity of survival was more important than any moral quandaries their little bit of desecration would give rise to, but it was still distasteful.


    Her gaze shifted to the clothing her friend had selected to take, and she nodded her head in satisfaction. The colors would help him blend in well with the environment of The Nest.


    "Alright. I guess we should get changed then," Harry said. Six once again nodded in agreement, as she began to make her way back toward her chosen outfit. But before she got too far, she stopped and turned around, leveling Harry with a mild glare.


    "Oh, and by the way, don''t you dare try and peek," she said, before continuing on her way. Harry could only stare after her in confusion.


    Why would he want to look at her as she was changing? Did she think he wanted to see her underwear or something? Why would he want to see that?


    His only conclusion was that girls are weird. Some mysteries are best left unsolved.


    He turned his attention back to his new clothing and began the distasteful act of removing it from its former owner. He carefully peeled the garments from the body of the boy, trying not to look into his accusatory eyes.


    As the shirt came off, Harry felt that familiar sensation of vomit wanting to escape from his stomach, but he managed to hold it in. He didn''t want to get on Six''s bad side for losing more of her dinner.


    The reason for his new bout of nausea was the patchwork skin of the human doll in front of him. It was one thing to see it on the face, but the torso was something else entirely.


    It was far less delicately done than the head for one, and he could see the insides through the uneven stitches. Cotton, like a stuffed toy. I made it more than obvious they were now dolls.


    The skin was rough and bumpy, with hanging, floppy bits of flesh here and there. Some parts also seemed to be rotting, while others appeared to have been chewed on. It was clear there was little care to be done for the parts that wouldn''t be normally seen.


    Thankfully, with his insides being replaced with fluff, there weren''t any innards to leak and seep into the clothing. So that was good. But it was still unpleasant to look at.


    Harry quickly removed the last of the clothing, rendering the doll naked. He shivered again, realizing the boy was missing something rather important for a boy. Guess dolls didn''t need the restroom, so it didn''t need that either.


    Not wanting to see it for longer than he had to, Harry removed his own clothes as well, making sure to take out his flashlight and the medallion Six threw at him first. It wouldn''t do to leave those behind.


    Before he knew it he was dressed in a set of relatively clean and comfortable clothing. Not only that, but it was far warmer than his old clothes as well, which was also a plus. If he got too warm, all he needed to do was remove the jacket.


    Once he was fully garbed, he turned his attention to the corpse baring it all to him. He frowned, and his gaze shifted to the pile of dirty clothes he just removed from himself. Well, it''s not like he needed it anymore¡­


    And it would also help hide the fact that they pilfered the clothes in the first place. The Residents may not be too smart, according to Six, but there was no reason they should tip them off that something is amiss, lest they have another incident like with the dresser.


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    Better safe than sorry.


    So that''s what he did. He reclothed the human doll in front of him, as unpleasant as it was. He really hoped he wouldn''t have to swap clothes anytime soon. And if he did need new clothes again, please let it not be from the corpses of children.


    Once he was done he made to look toward Six to see if she was done as well. But before he did, he remembered her warning, and he shivered involuntarily for some reason. Right, it was probably best to use words instead of eyes to check.


    "Hey Six, you done yet?" Harry asked out loud, eyes scanning the parts of the room that didn''t contain Six in them.


    "Almost," she replied. He could hear shuffling from behind him, and he wondered what she was doing.


    "Alright, done," he heard her call out. Figuring he was in the clear, Harry turned around and was greeted with the sight of his, thankfully, clothed companion.


    She was now dressed in a dark gray cardigan that was so long it looked like a dress on her. Beneath that was an even darker gray shirt, and he could see the hints of white shorts hidden underneath.


    And no shoes.


    It was a decent step up from the dirty, of white shirt she wore before, and the gray would help her blend in better with the shadows. It also seemed like she had the same idea as him and placed her old clothes upon the doll she stole her new outfit from.


    "Looks good. So, now what?" asked Harry as he approached the ruby-eyed girl. He stopped and stared at her handiwork, before quickly looking away. No point in dwelling on what''s already been done.


    "Let''s see. We need three things. First is the fuse that goes to the lift. Without that, we may be stuck on this floor. Second is the key to the chest upstairs. I don''t know what''s in it, but I''m sure it''ll be useful. And third, we need to find the machine that the medallion goes into. Those are our immediate concerns," she stated, giving him a determined stare.


    Harry nodded, "Alright, I guess we should start with the other side of the hallway then."


    Six agreed and the two of them began to make their way out of the room, but not before turning the projector off, and leaving the remote where they could find it.


    Before leaving the relative safety of the cinema cemetery, Six stopped just shy of exiting and looked both ways, like she was about to cross a busy street. Seeing as there was nothing, she carefully made her way into the hall, with Harry hot on her heels.


    Making a right turn, the duo made their way down the hall, with both ignoring the nasty pile of bile under a table. No need to open up those memories just yet. Maybe years later, if they ever escaped this place, he could revisit it in therapy, but now was not the time.


    The pair reached the end of the hall, and the path split into two directions: left and right. To the right was a single door, and a dead end, with one of those creepy paintings hanging over a table with a surprisingly nice-looking plant resting on top.


    The left path held two doors, one near the center and the other towards the end of the hall. This way too led to a dead end, but unlike the right path, this one was blocked by debris.


    It looked as if someone, or something, grabbed a bunch of broken things: chairs, tables, lamps, etc. and just shoved them into a nice, disorderly pile to block the way forward.


    Six frowned at this, looking all around the heaping pile of scrap to see if there was any way around it, but to her frustration, there appeared to be none. At least, none that she could see.


    So that way was out, that just leaves the doors. She pointed to the one on the right, indicating they should try that one first, and Harry gave her a nod of understanding. The two quietly crept over to the door, staying on the carpet and trying to remain as silent as they could. Just because there wasn''t anything currently on this floor threatening them, doesn''t mean they should be careless, or develop bad habits.


    As they stood in front of the door, Six made a gesture that she would be the one to check the handle. Harry shrugged, and assumed the position, and flung Six upward. She grabbed onto the handle, but to her disappointment, it held fast. She tried to jerk the handle down, using her weight, but it refused to budge.


    Dropping down, Six shook her head at Harry, and he let out a sigh of frustration of his own. The two then went to the next door, with Harry being the one to check this time, only to be letdown as well. The door was also locked and refused them entry.


    They then approached the final door, but this one was a bit different from the others. Pretty much every door looked relatively the same, with a similarly warped appearance, crooked installation, and of course, the big, carved eye that was just off center, watching everything they did.


    The only difference between them was the amount of warping in the wood, the amount of decay they possessed, or the amount of filth coating it. But this door in front of them was completely different.


    The first was that the wood was neither warped or decayed, and appeared as if the people who put it there actually knew what they were doing. Second was the color. All the other doors just looked wooden, with various amounts of dirt and grime being their only source of color, but this one was bright pink.


    It made Six''s eyes sore just looking at it.


    The last thing was the distinct lack of an eye. There was still a craving, but instead of it being the usual eye, it was instead a mask of some kind. One that was completely devoid of ornamentation. Just a smooth, blank face staring at them. Unlike the rest of the door, the mask was painted a chalk white, making it stand out that much more.


    If Harry was being honest, he preferred the eye. There was just something unsettling about the mask. He turned to Six to see her staring intently at it, completely enthralled.


    "Hey, Six? You good?" he questioned with a whisper, nudging her slightly. That seemed to snap her out of whatever trance she was in, and she looked at him with confusion.


    "Yeah, I''m fine," she whispered back. He looked at her for a second, before nodding his head, turning back to the door. Six was glad he didn''t push the issue, as she herself was unsure of the attraction she felt towards the carving.


    There was just something about it that called to her, like a siren singing out across the ocean. She didn''t know what connection she had to the mask, but she doubted it was anything good.


    "So, any idea why this door is so different?" Harry asked. Six shook the thoughts from her head and concentrated on the here and now. She needed to stay focused, lest her distraction lead them to ruin.


    "Yeah. Pretty sure this is The Pretender''s room," she said.


    "Pretty sure?" asked Harry. Six shrugged in response. "It''s been a while."


    Harry couldn''t exactly argue with that, especially knowing what effect The Nowhere had on people''s psyche. She likely didn''t remember all the details, and even then, the details may have changed since then.


    "Well, if it is, then we have another goal for this floor, don''t we?" he suggested.


    "Seems like it," Six responded. The two stood there in silence for a bit, before Six released a sigh.


    "Alright, lift me up. Let''s see if this door is locked too," she said. Much to her chagrin, it was indeed locked, just like all the others.


    "Of course," she grumbled, after landing back onto the floor. Harry watched as she glared at the door like it just killed her dog. He found it slightly amusing that she would hold such vitriol for a door.


    Not that he had any intention of telling her that.


    "So, that was a bust. Now what?" he asked. Six kept grumbling for a bit, before releasing another long, exasperated sigh. She then turned to Harry with regret flashing in her eyes.


    "Remember, back in¡­ that room? Near the ceiling? Right before the incident," she said. Harry frowned, trying to think about what she was hinting at and not wanting to remember that room at all.


    He tried to think back, to right before he touched the circle. But it was hard to separate the empty room from before to the one filled with the dying screams of tortured children. His mind was a whirl as he went backwards in time once again, and the memory sprung forth.


    "The vent!" he gasped, louder than what he intended. That must be what she was talking about. And Six confirmed his exclamation with a firm, yet concerned nod.


    "Right, the vent. I don''t see any other way forward. If it''s too much, I can go alone," she offered, and Harry''s eyes widened at the suggestion. The fear of Six abandoning him rushed forward from the depths of his being.


    "No!" he nearly shouted, causing Six to frown. Harry quickly regained control of himself, as he steadied his breathing. Six was his friend, she wouldn''t leave him in this place, she wouldn''t abandon him.


    "I mean, no. I can handle it, I promise. We''re in this together, aren''t we?" he said, calmly.


    Six gave him a look before a small smile graced her face, "Yeah, together."


    The two shared a moment of peaceful quiet before it was time to continue on. As they backtracked through the halls, Harry could swear the paintings were watching him. Or, the ones with faces were, at least. Mocking his fear with jeering eyes.


    But Harry wouldn''t let it get to him. His fear would hold no dominion over him. He would face that room once more, and conquer the nightmares before they even began.


    Before long, the two of them were once more in front of the room with the cages. If he thought it was dark before, then he didn''t know what dark was. The foreboding wafting out from the shadows made it all the blacker, threatening to consume his very being. He could almost hear the screaming coming from within.


    "Ready?" Six asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye. While she didn''t hold the same trepidation as her companion about the room, that didn''t mean she wasn''t wary of it. She didn''t doubt his words in the least, and wasn''t eager to return.


    And she knew he wasn''t either.


    Taking one last, deep breath, Harry gave her a look filled with more confidence than he truly felt. "Ready."

 Through Darkness into Light

    The room was as dreary as Harry remembered, and the silence of it threatened to swallow his sanity. The last time he was in here was a mixture of moments that defied reality as he knew it.


    Time travel was apparently a thing, though very limited in its uses. He stared at the empty cages that once held children, the dried blood holding far more significance than it once did. He could now put faces to it, each cage a portrait of what once was.


    But there was only one that really mattered to him. The one that held a little girl named Rose. Harry slowly approached the cage as if in a trance, echoes of her voice taunting him in their lifelikeness.


    As he stopped in front of her former confinement, Harry did notice something odd. There was no blood. Every cage that held a child, at least as far as he knew, was coated in the dried remains of life. But hers was empty of such revulsion.


    He felt a twinge of something enter his chest. Hope. Was it possible that she was still alive? Could that monster have recognized her right before it claimed her life?


    The thought was almost too much to bear, and Harry could only stare at the empty cage, mocking him with an empty promise. A hand on his shoulder made him jump, and snapped him out of his reverie.


    "Are you ok?" Six asked, as Harry settled down. He gave her a look, before his gaze traveled back to the cage in front of them.


    "Back in the vision, there was a little girl named Rose, trapped in this cage," Harry said, and Six''s own eyes went to the aforementioned cage.


    "I came out of it before I could see what happened to her, but that monster was going right for her," he continued. Six nodded along, as empathetic as she could be. But it was hard for someone like her, who has already lost so much to this place, to truly feel empathy for another, much less someone she didn''t know.


    Harry himself had somehow wormed his way into her heart, and she did care about what happened to him. But if she were honest, the girl named Rose didn''t mean much to her.


    "Hairy, if that''s true, then¡­" she started, but was interrupted by Harry. "I know. The chances of her being alive are slim, but¡­ Look, there''s no blood," he pointed out, and Six did indeed look, and took notice of the distinct lack of red that several other cages seemed to have in spades.


    "Still, that doesn''t mean she survived," Six said, as gently as she could. Harry clenched his fists in anger. Not at Six, but at the situation they were tricked into.


    By that accursed Ferryman.


    Taking a deep breath, Harry managed to release his anger. His fists unclenched and his shoulders sagged. One hand went up to grasp Six''s, thankful she was there.


    "I know. But I hope she did."


    Six nodded, though part of her didn''t necessarily agree. This world was rotten to the core, and if she did survive, she would only experience more pain and agony. Sometimes, death is preferable.


    She knew what a hypocrite that made her, considering her own desire for survival, but some kids simply weren''t meant for this life. She''s seen what happens to those who inevitably snap, who give into the darkness.


    It wasn''t pretty. And according to Harry, this Rose girl had all but given up even before the incident. After seeing what became of her brother, Six doubted her sanity would remain intact.


    She had no way of knowing, of course, but experience was a great teacher and well worth the tuition if you could afford it. But if you couldn''t, the debt would slowly consume you.


    After giving Harry a few moments to compose himself, they began inspecting the best way to reach the vent. He shone his flashlight, which still worked thankfully, to parts of the room where the light barely reached. He didn''t know how much longer the batteries would last, so he was determined to extract as much out of them as he could


    They would have to begin by climbing some cages, which Harry found distasteful, but there was nothing to be done about it. They needed to reach the vent, and that was the only way forward.


    After climbing several cages, they would then have to hop onto a shelf. Not too terribly difficult, but without knowing how sturdy it was made them just a wee bit nervous. Especially with the room they were in. There was no telling what effect the magic had on these things.


    The shelf itself wrapped around the room, going behind the door to the other side. It was a roundabout way, but the cages didn''t reach all the way to the vent, at least not directly, so there was little to be done about it.


    Next, was to jump onto some more cages, these ones not having the appropriate bars to climb, seeing as they were vertical. After that, as long as the cages remained steady, they would simply have to climb on top of the cages until they reached the vent opening.


    After mapping the way forward, it was time to put their plan into action. Six, having more experience, went first. She jumped up and grabbed the top of the first cage, before hauling herself up. Then she used the next cage like a ladder and began to climb.


    So far so good. The cages themselves felt sturdy enough, and Six never feared for her footing. After climbing a few more cages, Six was ready to jump onto the shelf. Looking down, she could see Harry making steady progress, making her nod in satisfaction.


    Before Harry could reach the cage she was on, Six jumped onto the shelf. Thankfully it wasn''t too high up, the edge of the shelf hitting her midsection, and she was easily able to pull herself up.


    Afterward, she stood and waited for Harry, who just reached the last cage. Looking up, he saw Six waiting for him, and who was he to keep a lady waiting? That was just bad manners.


    He took a running start and jumped. While the distance wasn''t too far and the height not very steep, that point was rendered moot when the shelf itself decides to break. The sudden shift nearly sent Six tumbling down, but she was able to maintain her footing, but the jerking motion of the shelf tilting so suddenly caused Harry''s already tenuous grip to falter.


    "Six!" he called out for help. His friend rushed to him, bending down and grabbing hold of his arms. WIth her help, he managed to make it onto the shelf, which thankfully didn''t shift position anymore.


    "Thanks," Harry said, taking deep, panicked breaths. That was way too close. Although, with the cages right below him it likely wouldn''t have been fatal, it still would have hurt, and they couldn''t risk a broken limb at this point either.


    "No problem," she said. They took another few moments to catch their breath and calm down, though that was mostly for Harry''s benefit, before setting off again. With the slanting of the shelf, they had to be extra careful not to miss their step. Especially Harry, who was less sure footed than Six.


    They shimmied across the shelf, before reaching the first corner, where they would need to make another jump. Although wary of another mishap, there was little they could do about it. Worrying that the shelf might break wouldn''t help them.


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    Six made the jump, and thankfully, the shelf remained level. Or mostly level, at any rate. Nothing was totally straight in this place. Seeing his friend make it safely, Harry too made the jump, and to the relief of both of them, nothing happened.


    Carefully making their way across the second shelf, they reached the end without any serious issues. Although the wood itself was rough and sticky, that wasn''t really a problem. Annoying, yes, but not a problem.


    It did make Harry wish for shoes once more though.


    The last jump also went off without a hitch, and they released a sigh of relief. Now all they had to worry about was the cages. Reaching the end of the shelf, Harry used his flashlight to get a better view. There was enough light coming through the door to see fairly well, but a little extra light never hurt.


    Seeing as everything looked fine, and no cage was placed at an awkward angle, Six felt it safe enough to make the jump. Or as safe as it could be at any rate, and made it to the other side without any difficulty.


    The cages underneath her barely even wobbled, so that was good. Harry turned off his light and also made the jump, once Six was clear of the landing zone.


    Looks like the world wasn''t trying to kill him for once, nice. After that, it was easy for the two of them to make their way over to the vent. This one lacked a cover, so all they needed to do now was crawl inside and see where it leads.


    Using her lighter, Six began her trek through the new vent, with Harry following quickly behind. With her little light to guide her way, Six navigated the darkness. Thankfully, this vent only had one path, so it was relatively easy to traverse.


    There also wasn''t any weird goop to avoid, so that was nice.


    But all good things must come to an end, and as nice as the stroll through a dark and cramped vent was, they had things they needed to do.


    Six reached the end of the vent, and shut off her lighter. There was no need, as the light coming through the other side of the vent provided ample illumination. Staring out from the safety of the vent, the first thing she noticed was the wooden structure beneath her.


    That was good. She was slightly worried that there wouldn''t be any way for them to reach the bottom. Gingerly placing her foot on the wood, she slowly added more of her weight, making sure it could hold them until she was standing fully on top of it.


    Behind her, Harry exited the vents as well, releasing a sigh of relief, "Man, am I glad to be out of that room."


    Six silently agreed with that statement. The room''s atmosphere made her feel restless. Well, more restless than normal. Taking a few cautious steps towards the edge of the wooden platform, Six carefully leaned over the side to look down. Much to her relief, it seems like they were on top of a book shelf.


    "Looks like we can climb down this easily enough," she stated, and Harry made his way over to her, confirming her statement for himself.


    "Looks like it," he said simply, before his gaze shifted to the rest of the room. The decor was the same as the previous hallway, which made sense, considering they were supposed to be connected.


    At the end of the hall was a left turn, and there was a right turn directly in the middle, likely leading to a big pile of debris. There was one big difference between this hall and the last, and that was the condition.


    It was in far worse shape than its counterpart. The rug was crumpled up in spots and utterly filthy. It was more brown than yellow, and you could barely see the picture of an eye that was so clear on the other rugs.


    Wallpaper was peeling off the walls, and several picture frames lie broken on the floor. Large holes were punched into the wall as well, and Harry half expected something would reach out and drag them into the darkness.


    It didn''t make much sense to Harry, seeing as the two hallways were connected. Perhaps it was just the general disuse of one? Who can say, but it felt like they were on a completely different floor.


    "Ready to go?" asked Six, who, like Harry, had been inspecting the room as well. But she was far less concerned about the state of it than her companion. She was used to the mansion''s excentricities.


    Harry didn''t answer, at least not verbally. But he did give her a thumbs up and a big, cheery grin. Six rolled her eyes, but she had a small, amused smile force its way onto her face.


    With that, the pair began their descent into the unknown once more. Thankfully, the bookshelf, while somewhat decrepit, wasn''t in such poor shape that the shelves couldn''t handle two small children. They made it down without issue until they were safely on the floor.


    And once again, Harry lamented the lack of shoes. The rug they stood on was simply disgusting, and he did not like the feeling on his poor, abused feet.


    "They should fire the cleaning staff," Harry grumbled as they walked further into the new hall. He could practically feel the bacteria climbing all over his bare feet, like a million frenzied ants. Made his skin crawl.


    "Perhaps you should lodge an official complaint," Six said, making Harry grumble at her. Sure, joke around, but when they get some weird disease from this unhygienic hellhole, he would be the first one to say, "I told you so."


    "Maybe I will," he finally said, making Six laugh to herself. It wasn''t like she enjoyed traipsing around in the filth of this world, but she had little choice. Whining about it wouldn''t help anybody.


    As they reached the center of the hall, they took a gander down the path to the right, and sure enough, there was a massive pile of garbage blocking their way. That verifies their location at the very least.


    Perhaps he could use his magic to clear it out? That would be far better than having to go back through that room again.


    However, seeing as there was no reason to even try going that way, they continued straight ahead, until they reached the curve. Looking down this new corridor, it was much the same as the one they just walked down, with a few noticeable exceptions.


    And that was the tables, spread out along the wall. Two on the right, and one on the left. There were no doors that they could see, so their only way forward was as linear as it could get.


    Besides that, there were curious piles of dirt scattered about the corridor. Like someone decided to sweep it into a pile and just leave it there. Honestly, was there no quality control in the cleaning staff?


    The pair started walking down the only path laid before them, dancing to fate''s fickle tune. Everything was going smoothly, so why did Six feel so anxious? Or was that the reason? Because things never went perfect for long.


    A feeling crept up from her spine and settled on the back of her neck. Something was wrong, but what? It felt like she was being watched. Stopping to look around her environment some more, Six tried to locate the source of her anxiety.


    "Six, you alright?" Harry asked, having stopped a little ways ahead of her once he noticed she was no longer right beside him. She was looking every which way for something. Harry had no idea what it could be, but it did set him on edge.


    "I don''t know. Something doesn''t feel right¡­" she said. Her eyes kept lingering on the piles of dirt, as warning bells rang in her mind. They were familiar to her, but she could place them.


    Her nervousness was affecting Harry, and he too began to search for anything amiss. Twisting in a circle to look all around him, Harry took a step further down the hall.


    And that was all it took.


    Six heard it before she saw it. A mechanical, whirring noise, one that was vaguely familiar to her. It seemed to be coming from somewhere near the ceiling. Looking up, her face paled in dread as she finally managed to see what had made her so paranoid.


    It was an eye, big shocker, but not just any eye. It was a security eye. One meant to keep kids like her from entering certain areas. Or leaving them, in some cases. They were mostly on the bottom floors, so what was one doing here?


    She watched in slow motion as the eye opened, revealing a dark pupil. However, it didn''t stay dark for long. Soon enough, a bright light started shining from the pupil, and Six knew exactly what that meant.


    Memories dredged themselves up from the recesses of her mind. Ones of children, just like her, frozen forever in a mocking caricature of life. Their bodies turned to stone, petrified faces forever locked in an expression of pain and fear.


    Unless the statues were destroyed, of course. Rendered as nothing more than a pile of dust. So that''s why the dirt piles seemed so familiar to her. They were the remains of children turned into statues.


    Children whose only mistake had been walking in the light. The same light the eye above her was emitting. They may not have known what would happen, but she did, and she needed to do something before it was too late. Before she lost someone else.


    Six wasn''t the only one to hear the noise, but she was the only one who knew what it meant. Harry looked up to see the eye opening as well, which put him on edge. He stared at it, waiting for something to happen.


    "Lookout!" she yelled, much to Harry''s surprise. Six hated making loud noises of any kind. Not that he didn''t understand her reasons. Loud noises brought trouble. So hearing her shout was just about the last thing Harry expected.


    Wondering what could make his friend emit such a loud noise, Harry was greeted to the sight of a bright light shining down on him. Or at least, part of him anyway. And of course, that was what Six was trying to warn him about.


    Harry''s arm, which was the part most exposed to the light, did something that Harry didn''t see coming. It started to turn to stone. And it wasn''t just his arm either. His leg, which was also exposed to the light, also began to transform.


    The petrification slowly began to encroach the rest of his body, traveling up his leg and arm. He wanted to run, but with his leg frozen as it was, he wasn''t able to. All he could do was give Six a look of fear, stretching his arm toward her as he was slowly turned into stone.


    The last thing he felt was a hand grabbing his own, before he surrendered to the darkness.

 Scientific Method

    Six grabbed Harry''s hand and yanked him as hard as she could. His entire body was almost completely encompassed by stone at this point, but she wasn''t ready to give up just yet.


    The pair of them crashed painfully against the filthy floor, Six grunting from the impact. She turned to look at her companion and her heart nearly froze when she saw the pieces of stone littering the floor. For a moment, she thought she had shattered him.


    Thankfully, that didn''t seem to be the case. The bits of rock sprinkled around him only seemed to be a top coat, not having enough time to penetrate and petrify his insides. She got to him just in time.


    His skin looked pink and raw, and was almost certainly painful. A thought that would soon prove to be correct as he opened his eyes and took in a deep, desperate breath of air.


    "Ow, that hurts! What happened?" he ground out. Nearly his whole body tingled, all except for his right hand. It was like that feeling you get when you sit on your hand for too long and it goes numb, then you get off it and the blood rushes back into the appendage and it stung like crazy.


    Now take that sensation and spread it across your whole body. That was what Harry was feeling at the moment. Every movement causing him more grief than the last.


    "You were almost turned into stone," commented a voice to his left. Turning his head, which caused a brief spike of agony, he saw what looked like his erstwhile companion. Though it was hard to tell with his vision as blurry as it was.


    "Six?" he questioned. And indeed it was her, looking relieved and annoyed in equal measure, glaring down at him. He flinched slightly at her angry red eyes, knowing he was the cause of it.


    He did almost die again, so he wouldn''t begrudge her feeling a bit upset with him, even though it really wasn''t his fault this time. How was he supposed to know that eye turned people to stone?


    "Yes it''s me. How are you feeling?" she asked. She may have been a bit cross with him for nearly leaving her all alone again, but that was mostly out of concern. She just had a hard time expressing her true feelings on the matter, and defaulted to annoyance.


    "It''s hard to explain. Ever sleep on your arm wrong and you wake up with it feeling numb? Then after a while it starts to tingle and that tingling turns to pain?" he asked, or more accurately, rambled.


    Six looked amused by his babbling as she nodded her head at him. If all he was feeling was pins and needles after nearly being turned to stone, she would take it.


    "Like that, but all over," he explained.


    "I see. Well, I''m glad you''re alright," she said, receiving a smile in return. Or an attempt at smiling, as even that small gesture seemed to cause him discomfort.


    "Looks like you saved me again. Thanks," he told her sincerely.


    "Where would you be without me?" she joked back, ignoring the warmth spreading through her chest at the look he gave her. It was scary just how much a simple look made her feel so happy.


    The scary part wasn''t the feeling of joy itself, but the fear of never seeing the look that caused it again. It was the reason Six was so hesitant to get close to anyone. Not after her friend was captured. Sure she''s spent some amount of time with other survivors, but never enough to feel a connection.


    Not like with Harry. And since most of them have died, gone missing, or abandoned her, she felt like she made the right decision in keeping her distance. But for some reason, she couldn''t do the same with the boy lying next to her. Perhaps she was just tired of being alone.


    "In a moth''s stomach," Harry said blandly, making her snort slightly. That was true enough. If she hadn''t appeared when she did, if she hadn''t been so curious about that loud noise he would have almost certainly been eaten.


    Almost certainly, because there was a chance he would have used his magic to escape, but that chance was slim at best.


    "Well it''s a good thing you have me then," she stated, with just a hint of smugness. Harry rolled his eyes at her, but his smile never left his face. He knew just how lucky he was. And to think, what would have happened if he had chosen a different balloon on that day? He may have never met Six.


    Now that was a truly depressing thought. Even after such a short time with her, he couldn''t imagine facing this world without her by his side. He didn''t know what it was; fate, destiny, or sheer random chance that brought them together, but he was eternally grateful it did.


    He finally had a friend. A real friend. And that meant the world to him.


    "So, mind telling me what that thing is?" Harry asked, gesturing towards the eye behind them. Six gave the offending thing a sour look, all semblance of joy draining from her face. It would be hard to tell the difference if you didn''t know her, but Harry did. To him it was like night and day.


    "Security Eyes, or at least that''s what we call them. You''ve experienced first hand what they do," she stated, watching as the eye flickered on and off. It was different from the ones she''s seen before. Those ones all turned on and stayed on, swiveling back and forth as they searched for their next victim.


    But this one didn''t. It blinked, for lack of a better term. Four seconds on and three seconds off. Unless it had you in its sights, like it had Harry just moments ago. Then the light stayed on for much longer.


    "Yeah, it wasn''t pleasant. How are we supposed to get by?" asked Harry. It was a valid question, considering this was the only way forward that they could find. Looking down the path, Six took note of the tables conveniently placed along the walls.


    "The tables. There should be just enough time to make it to them before we become statues," she said. Harry tried to look at what she was pointing at, but the pins and needles were still jabbing him all over, so he would just take her word for it.


    "Couldn''t we, I don''t know, cover ourselves? It doesn''t look like it''s turning everything to stone," Harry asked, making Six pause. Could they do that? There were some tablecloths, or bits of debris they could take from the pile to block the light.


    It could work, even though she would rather avoid being in the light altogether. But there was one small problem with that plan, "Maybe. But the light also turned your clothes to stone. It might target anything that moves, rather than something alive."


    "We could always test it. Through something in its path, see what happens," Harry suggested. Thinking it over, it was a good idea. She wasn''t entirely sure how these things worked, so getting a better understanding of them wasn''t the worst idea she''s ever heard.


    No, that had to have been that one kid who wanted to create an army of rats and take over the world. Now that was a terrible idea, especially considering the rats he tried to tame ate him.


    Alive. Just remembering that made Six feel sick.


    "Alright. As soon as you''re ready, we''ll give it a try," she said, trying to push the memory of the rat boy from her mind. With Harry giving her a slight nod of agreement, Six settled in to wait until he could move without wincing in pain.


    It took about ten minutes before Harry felt able to move properly. But even though the tingling had since gone away, his skin was still sensitive. Extremely so. The air he felt from just walking might as well have been from a hurricane. Not exactly painful, but uncomfortable nonetheless.


    The dynamic duo made their way to the pile of debris that blocked access to the other side of the hall. Since they were testing the limits of the Security Eye, Six thought the best approach would be to start with something simple, and see if it responded to movement.


    To do so, she would grab a piece of wood or some other similar chunk of garbage, and toss it onto the light. Easier said than done, when everything in the pile was intermingled like it was. Almost like it was fused together.


    But after scouring the heap for a while, they were able to find a piece of wood that was less obstructed than the rest, a good chunk of it protruding from the pile, enough that the two of them could grab it. Didn''t mean it would be easy to remove, it just meant it was possible.


    Harry and Six grabbed the length of wood, which looked like it used to belong to a chair of some kind. It wasn''t a leg, more like a decorative piece of the backrest.


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    "Ready?" Six asked, giving him an expectant look.


    "Just give the word," he responded. Six nodded and began a countdown. "Ok, on three¡­"


    "One¡­"


    "Two¡­"


    "Three!"


    The two of them began to pull as hard as they could, the piece of wood slowly but surely coming loose. Their faces turned red from the effort and after several seconds, it came free, the two of them landing in a heap.


    The large pile of broken things shifted slightly from the now hollow spot, but did little else. The two, who had been watching with bated breath, released a sigh of relief. They wouldn''t be buried underneath trash today.


    The two of them lay on their back, breathing heavily from the exertion. Harry turned to his friend with a cheeky grin, "That wasn''t so hard."


    Six rolled her eyes at his sass, and stood up, walking over to the piece of wood which had gone flying after they yanked it out. The piece was fairly large, now that she could get a better view of it, being slightly taller than she was. But it would do.


    Grabbing the wooden piece, which was lighter than she thought it would be, she flung it over her shoulder before making her way back towards the Security Eye, with Harry trailing behind her.


    Now here they were, standing in front of the light as it blinked on and off. She didn''t want to admit it, but part of her was eager to see what would happen, her natural curiosity coming to the forefront once more.


    "This is it," she said, looking at Harry. He nodded back at her, ready to get the experiment underway. She waited until right before the light blinked on again before chucking the stick into the air.


    The light came on and the wood stubbornly refused to turn to stone. It fell to the floor with a clatter, bouncing a few times before remaining still.


    "Guess that was a bust," Harry said. The eye remained lit for some time before it returned to its normal pattern. Seeing this, Six narrowed her eyes in suspicion.


    "Not entirely. The eye did follow the stick, it just didn''t turn it to stone. But how did it know?" she asked, more to herself than to Harry.


    Movement was important, at least to a certain extent, but not enough to trick the Security Eye. Something else was at play here. Some other trick that she was unaware of.


    How did it recognize what to turn to stone and what not to? Movement wasn''t enough, at last not on its own, so did that mean it also had to be a living thing? But that didn''t make sense, as when Harry and those before him were petrified, so too were their clothes.


    Only one way to find out, though she wasn''t looking forward to the next test as she was the first one. This one would demand a bit of risk.


    "Ok, so it follows moving objects. Does that mean if we stay perfectly still, it wont see us?" Harry asked, staring at the lone piece of wood in the middle of the hall. No matter how many times the light turned on and off, it stayed the same. It didn''t seem to care, or maybe it didn''t recognize that there was something new in the hall.


    "Maybe¡­ But there''s only one way to find out. One of us will have to hold out an arm and let the light hit it while remaining still," Six said. Harry was understandably nervous at the prospect, having first hand experience being petrified. But that meant he was the most qualified for the job.


    "Alright. I''ll do it," he said, though Six could clearly hear the apprehension in his voice.


    "Are you sure?" she asked back. Harry''s eyes wavered for a second, before a determined glint entered them.


    "It''ll be fine. Besides, I have you to pull me out if something goes wrong," he said with more confidence than he actually felt. Being turned to stone wasn''t exactly a fun experience. He was just getting over the throbbing feeling in his arms and legs.


    But if it kept Six safe, he was willing to risk it again.


    Six gave him one of her small, nearly imperceptible smiles at the trust he was showing her. It really was nice to be relied on.


    "We can just avoid the light altogether you know," she said. As curious as she was about how the light actually functioned, it wasn''t worth the risk of something happening to her only friend.


    "True," Harry said, rubbing his chin in thought. He looked rather silly in her opinion. "But I think it''s best we find out now. It might just save us later, you know?"


    Six couldn''t argue with that. If the light turned them to stone no matter what, then trying to remain still if they get stuck inside of it would be pointless.


    "If you say so¡­" she responded with a bit of reluctance. As much as she wanted to know for certain if remaining still was a viable option, which she doubted, putting her friend at risk, however minimal, wasn''t something she was particularly looking forward to.


    And if the shaking of his hand was anything to go by, neither was he. It wasn''t much, but she could still see the tremble. It made her frown, and an uncomfortable feeling welled up in her chest.


    She didn''t know what it was, but she knew she didn''t like it. So before she could second guess herself or convince herself otherwise, she gently took his hand in hers.


    Harry turned to her in surprise, not expecting her sudden affection, no matter how small it may have been. Any coming from her was a bit of a shock. It wasn''t that she didn''t care, he knew that, she just had a hard time expressing it.


    "You know you don''t have to," she said in a gentle manner. It was somewhat off putting, considering how emotionless it sounded. At least it would if you didn''t know her. But Harry could make out the worry in her tone, as much as she could express.


    He knew she could be more expressive when she wasn''t thinking about it, or when the situation was erratic. He''s seen that, heard that in her voice even. But it was something else when everything was relatively calm.


    "I know, but I want to make sure. I know it probably won''t work but still¡­" he responded in a quiet voice. Six gazed into his eyes, so full of determination, and nodded her head. She didn''t let go of his hand, even as the trembling stopped.


    Which was good. No point in putting his arm out there if he was shaking. That would ruin the whole point of the experiment.


    Six was finding herself more and more fond of this little gesture. Who knew something as simple as holding someone''s hand could feel so nice. So comforting. It was such a small thing, and yet, it meant so much.


    "Alright. But if something goes horribly wrong, I reserve the right to say I told you so," she said with a stern glare. Harry snorted in amusement, eyes alight with mirth. "Whatever you say."


    With his confidence somewhat bolstered, Harry turned back to the light, blinking on and off rhythmically, and took a deep breath. This was it, time to see if he could win this game of red light green light.


    Six gave his hand one final squeeze as the light turned off. Without another thought, he thrust his arm into the space he knew the light would shine. If he calculated things correctly, and he hoped he did, the light would hit him around the mid forearm.


    The seconds before he knew the light would once again be on was the longest he''s ever experienced. But even as the seconds ticked into what seemed like hours, Harry kept his arm steady. It didn''t move, not a single centimeter.


    The fact that he could still feel the warmth of Six''s hand helped more than either of them knew.


    Eventually he could hear the tell tale signs of the machine powering up once more. The whirring of the gears, or whatever mechanism the eye had, screamed to life. Hearing this, Harry clenched the hand holding onto Six''s tightly. It was time.


    The black pupil shone with its treacherous light once more.


    As soon as the light touched him, he knew the test was a bust. Pain shot into his arm immediately, and he ripped it out of the area of effect. The two of them stepped back as the small amount of stone that had formed on top of his skin shattered and fell to the floor.


    "Ah, man that stings," Harry whined, as he clenched and unclenched his hand, trying to get the feeling back into it. Even though it was under the light''s influence for a fraction of a second, the skin was still pink and raw again. It felt like he''d been playing in the cold before running his hand under some hot water.


    Six looked at the appendage with some concern, but now that it was clear there was no lasting damage, at least as far as she could see, she released a breath she didn''t know she was holding.


    "See, I told you so," she said, slightly mockingly, as the grip she had on her friend''s hand loosened in relief, as did his. Not by enough to let go, but enough so that the feeling wouldn''t be uncomfortable.


    "I thought you were only going to say that if something went terribly wrong," Harry said. The stinging in his hand was starting to ebb. Guess the less time you spent under the light, the less time you needed to recover. Makes sense.


    "I''d say turning yourself to stone is pretty terrible. After all, you''d make a lousy lawn ornament," she snarked back, making him snort in amusement.


    "I''ll have you know that if I were on display in a yard, I would be the envy of all the neighbors," he told her with a small grin. That being said, he shuddered at the prospect of becoming a glorified garden gnome for his relatives.


    They would almost certainly be delighted by the decor. Maybe it was a good thing Six thought he''d make a lousy one.


    "You have weird neighbors then," she shot back.


    "You don''t know the half of it," he muttered to himself. Mrs. Figg would probably let her horde of cats use him as a scratching post. No, he was far better off not becoming a statue anytime soon.


    "Anyway, now that that''s done, what have we learned?" he asked in a fake posh accent. Six rolled her eyes at him again as her gaze shifted to the hall with the light now blinking once more.


    "Don''t go into the light," she stated plainly, with a decidedly bland tone of voice.


    "Good. The experiment was a success then," Harry proclaimed with a triumphant smirk.


    "But I already knew that," Six reminded him with a raised brow, making him falter slightly. He coughed into his fist, as a small blush lit up his face.


    "Ah yes, but now you know why," he said, acting like a wise old sage who just imparted the secrets of the universe to her.


    "I already knew that too," she reminded him again.


    "...You''re no fun," he told her with a pout, making her give one of her little smirks in response. She found she liked teasing him. It made for some interesting expressions to come across his face.


    "I do wonder how it works exactly. I mean, how does it know the difference between a stick and an arm? Especially when your arm is like a twig," she commented offhandedly, her words bringing some offense to the young boy.


    It wasn''t his fault he was so scrawny¡­


    "Maybe it''s sentient?" he postulated. Six''s head tilted to the side as she thought about his words, gazing at the eye in contemplation. Even if her words irked him a bit, he couldn''t help but find her current expression kind of cute.


    "You mean¡­ it''s alive?" she asked. That wasn''t something she''d thought about before. It certainly didn''t look alive, not to mention the sounds it made as it started up or whenever the light blinked on.


    "Not alive necessarily, but¡­ aware," he said, trying to explain his thoughts. He heard Six hum in thought as the pair gazed out across the empty hall. No other words were said, as the two of them simply enjoyed the small moment of silence.


    But all good things must come to an end, and after several moments, Harry cleared his throat, all previous playfulness leaving his eyes, "So, I guess we have no choice but to avoid the light then?"


    The last bit of mirth left Six''s eyes as well, as she began to calculate the best course to take to avoid the deadly beams of light. Thankfully, they could use the tables to avoid the Security Eyes gaze. It was a pretty short window, but they would have to make do.


    "Yeah. Are you ready? I think we''ve wasted enough time here," she asked, turning away from the hall to give him a look.


    "Always," he told her, giving her hand one last squeeze. No matter how difficult the path ahead was to tread, they could do it, together.

 The Path Less Traveled

    Harry Potter dove for cover, barely escaping the gaze of the Security Eye and making it to the relative safety underneath a filthy table. But his actions weren''t without consequence, as he went tumbling end over end, until he was abreast the wall, his body upside down.


    Six gazed at him with amusement, laughter practically swirling in the recesses of her emotionless gaze. How eyes that appeared so empty could wield such depth was a mystery Harry has yet to unravel. That he could tell her emotion at all was a miracle in and of itself.


    "You ok?" she whispered. Harry gave her a thumbs up from his awkward position, as he rolled upright with a low grunt. Six backed away as he did this, and helped him to his feet.


    "That could have gone better," he muttered, shaking the cobwebs from his head. And literally from his hair. He was only slightly astounded there were no spiders yet nesting in his unruly mane. But it was only a matter of time, he was sure.


    "You made it. That''s the important part," Six said, trying to uplift his spirits. Which didn''t seem to work, as he leveled his own deadpan stare at her. It was easy for her to say, considering the effortlessness of which she made the journey.


    Harry grumbled something she wasn''t able to hear, and was once more entertained by his antics. He did make for some beguiling company at times. But as fun as she found his griping, they needed to press onward.


    "Come on, time for the next one," she said. Harry sighed but nodded in agreement nonetheless. Hopefully this time he wouldn''t make such an utter fool of himself, but his hopes weren''t high. But even so, it was far better to be made a fool then to be turned to stone.


    One was far more painful than the other.


    He watched as Six waited for the exact moment the eye above them turned off. Once it did so, she was off, sprinting with a grace he could scarcely believe. And one he knew he would never match. But as long as he was fast enough to escape those who wished him harm, that would have to do.


    Six made it across to the next table, hiding beneath it with ample time to spare. She really did make it look easy. But some of them were but mere mortals who struggled to achieve even a partiality of her swiftness.


    But even so, he had no choice but to soldier on. As nice as the underside of this table was, and he was using the word nice with some heavy amount of sarcasm, it was not a place he wished to spend his years in. Or even a few minutes, if he were to be honest.


    So he watched as the light above blinked on and off almost lazily in its routine. It felt similar to an overworked employee going about their task with a lethargic energy, satisfied with a paycheck and uncaring for a promotion.


    Good for Harry, as if the machine, or mayhaps, creature above held a more excitable disposition, he would likely get caught. Thankfully it held no such desires for excitement and refused to deviate from its entrenched pattern.


    Once, twice, three times he watched the light shudder on and off, before, on the fourth turn, he made his move, sprinting for all he was worth towards the safety and comfort of the table.


    It was close, but he made it this time without having to perform any acrobatics. He breathed in heavily and deeply, regaining his lost breath. He turned to his companion, who gave him a thumbs up of her own. Harry snorted, and barked a short laugh, appreciating her mocking sense of humor.


    "Just one more. Think you can make it?" she challenged. Harry raised an eyebrow at her tone, noting the slight difference from before. It was one he hadn''t heard until now. Who knew she had a competitive streak?


    Or perhaps it was more for his benefit than it was for hers. That seemed more likely. Hoping to light a fire in him and keep him running ever faster to avoid the consequence of lollygagging.


    And to her credit, the notion held some merit. Harry was a bit competitive, though he had very little to compete over at the Dursleys. Food, perhaps, but that was a competition he had no chance of winning.


    But he had no objection towards competition itself. Wanting to be the best and striving towards victory was an admirable trait in his opinion, so long as it wasn''t taken too far. Cheating was a big no go in his book.


    Unless, of course, it aided in his and Six''s survival. If that''s what it took to keep her from the cloying embrace of death, he would gladly become a cheat that would make any politician proud.


    Her safety was the most important thing to him right now.


    "Just who do you think you''re talking to? I could easily avoid 100 of these things. No problem," Harry said, chest puffed out and full of bluster. Six raised an eyebrow at his bravado, seemingly unimpressed.


    "Uh huh. How about you just stick to the one for now," she said while poking him in his inflated ribcage, making him expel all the air he''d gathered and deflating him like a balloon.


    She snickered at his put out expression, before turning to the empty hall once more. This was the last hurdle they needed to overcome, at least in this part of the hallway. What the next bend had in store for them was anyone''s guess.


    It was also the longest distance, noticeably so. She was confident in her own abilities to reach the next promise of safety, but Harry was another matter.


    While he wasn''t that much slower than her, it might be just enough to get himself entrapped in stone once more. A circumstance she would rather avoid, if at all possible. He really would make for a rather substandard garden gnome.


    However, worrying about it would do neither of them any good. It was for the best she simply trust in his abilities, and concentrate on her own crossing, lest she fall victim to the same fate she worried for him.


    So she waited for the right moment, when the light went out and the shadows frolicked once more. As soon as she saw their telltale dance, she took off, like a lion chasing its prey.


    Like each time before, she easily escaped the jaws of death, the increased distance proving no challenge for her quickness of foot. Turning back to see her friend, she saw him standing there, alone, staring at the perceived vastness of no man''s land with trepidation. For all his bluster and bravado, he knew his limitations well.


    But there was no other path but forward. Hesitation would only invite the very same death he was hoping to avoid. He knew it, she knew it, and anyone who wished to survive in this place must adhere to this simple truth.


    The way back led to nothing but defeat and isolation. Once experienced, such encounters were not easily brushed aside, leading to a morose contemplation of failure. When one ruminates on such failing, they are then more likely to be repeated. And thus, that fear of failure ceases to be a fear, and instead, becomes one''s own reality.


    The fear of failure is what ironically, leads to the failure you fear.


    And one failure is all it takes in some cases, and the fear becomes a permanent staple of the mind. Six has seen it before, and nearly fell into that deceptively alluring trap. Thankfully, her desire to survive and escape the nightmare realm she had been tricked into calling home, snapped her out of her own self destructive behavior.


    She could only hope her friend would be able to do the same. That hesitation on his face as the eye above constantly promised death, over and over again in a haunting mockery, is more likely to be his cause of demise than any physical failings on his part.


    However, her own fears of losing the one bright spot in her otherwise pallid existence faded away into the shadows surrounding her, where they belong. It was not some miracle of thought that released them, but by the simple meeting of the eyes.


    Hers and Harrys.


    As his eyes met her own, a courage of his own blossomed in his bosom, using his own anxieties as nutrients. Someday it would grow into a mighty oak, but for now it was merely a sapling.


    And that was enough.


    Fear would hold him back no more. The doubts that whispered in his ears, casting aspersions on his bravery, were silenced. Not forever, perhaps, but at least for the moment, they were a distraction no more.


    So when the light shined no more upon the wretched, filth stained land, Harry darted out from the filth stained underbelly of the table. His vision narrowed to a tunnel as he stared unflinchingly at his goal.


    It was not the next table that he sought to reach, that was a mere consequence of his true intent. The purpose he ran was much greater than, at least in his mind, a temporary feeling of security.


    For his entire attention was centered not on the dark haven the underside of the table promised, but on the person who stood ensconced in its shadows. Six, and remaining with his friend, was his true motivation. Nothing was of greater import than that.


    Fear of failure made heavy his feet, and taking even that first step felt more laborious a task than any chore demanded by his relatives. But the greater fear of solitude removed the self imposed weight his mind fabricated.


    But it was more than courage his fear inspired. Unknowingly, he called upon the mystical power dwelling deep within the mystery of his soul, using it to empower his legs and hastening his return to his companion.


    However, even with so great an advantage, its utility would fall short of his goal. He was simply too exhausted, mentally and physically, to make proper use of it. He wouldn''t make it. Even if he was moving faster than ever before, it still wasn''t enough.


    Something Six noticed as well. It was clear to her experienced eyes that Harry had called upon his power again. A relief when she noticed, but that comfort proved itself a false companion. Even with his quickened pace, she knew his goal lay out of reach.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    It wasn''t that he was going too slow, as he was likely faster than she was during her own run. No, the true problem converged on two points.


    The first was his start time. Six herself was out of the gate roughly 0.10 seconds after the light blinked off, her greater reaction time allowing her to move at a moment''s notice. Harry, however, wasn''t so adept at adapting to change in circumstance. Better than most, but at 0.40 seconds, it was a significant delay from her own time of departure.


    Next was his rate of acceleration. Six was very good at getting to top speed very quickly. A trait she picked up surviving in the Nowhere. Harry, while again, better than most, was more attuned to the task of escaping much slower foes.


    Namely his cousin and his gang. Harry didn''t need to be the fastest guy around, only faster than them. So he learned to conserve his energy to ensure continued avoidance. He trained himself for a much lengthier distance than his current sprint demanded.


    A worthy endeavor, considering the trouble he faced, but it proved to be a hindrance for his current task. He would fall just shy of his destination, close enough Six would likely be able to reach out her hand and touch him.


    Her eyes widened at the thought. If that was the case, then maybe, just maybe there is something she could do. Six might not have the same magic as her friend, but that didn''t mean she was helpless.


    Far from it.


    It also did not preclude her from rendering him aid either. If in fact he did arrive within suitable distance, then perhaps she could ensure he did not become a statue.


    Because she was awfully tired of seeing him do so. The first time, on accident and nearly fatal. The second, an experiment that offered more questions than answers. She would like to avoid a third instance, as much as she could.


    He was likely to receive some amount of petrification, she would not be able to prevent it entirely, but so long as he survived the encounter, she would call that an acceptable amount of injury.


    Her plan was simple, as all good plans should be. The more complicated a plan is, the more points of failure it has as well. Though, she supposed a plan with so few steps only had to run afoul a detriment but one time.


    To put it plainly, she would reach out her hand, grab his own, and pull him to safety. The plan involved some risk on her part. Though only a part of her hand would be visible to the eye, it would still be enough to suffer its effects.


    Should that occur while gripping her companion and being unable to muster enough force to drag him to safety, she may find her hand welded permanently to his own.


    So, no pressure.


    Meeting her friend''s gaze, she could tell he realized the same truth as her. That he would be unable to make it in time. But she could also see a determination there, an unyielding will to survive.


    That was all she needed to see. Spurned on by his fortitude, Six didn''t give a second thought as she held her hand out for him to grab, the other clinging to a table leg, both to aid her stability, and to help when she needed to pull him to safety.


    She didn''t say a word, but the message in her resplendent, ruby eyes made it clear her intentions. She was not about to give up, and neither should he.


    Seeing this gave Harry the motivation to castaway the growing fatigue and inspired a sudden burst of speed. Reaching out a hand in the very moment the light of damnation shone down upon him, he could see both his arm and hers hardening into rock.


    But even so, he refused to surrender into that quiet night. As did Six. He could feel his hand grab onto hers, though only just barely. The petrification being a strange combination of agony and numbness.


    But even though he couldn''t feel her hand, not with his sense of touch anyway, it did not deprive him of a more esoteric sensation. It was a connection that could scarcely be explained by physical means. He could neither see nor feel his hand in hers, and yet, he knew this to be the truth.


    Six, however, was able to see the connection in the physical sense, as her eyes had not yet been blinded by the visage of stone. Her hand and his, clasped together and unable to move, fully petrified.


    But that was ok. She expected this to happen, and braced herself for the experience. Even so, the feeling of ants crawling all over her hand and arm, however brief, was still rather unpleasant. It almost made her glad for the insensate feeling that came after.


    Now, with their hands firmly stuck together, she had but one thing left to do, and that was reel him in. Thankfully, he hadn''t come to a full stop, doggedly continuing forward, so she was able to use his own momentum to aid in her endeavor.


    Using all of her might, she yanked her arm backwards while pushing against the table leg with the other, bringing him with her into the safety of the shadows.


    What she did not account for was the fact that her hand and his were stuck together. It wasn''t that she didn''t know they would be, she just didn''t expect that when she flung him under the table, she would be flung with him.


    Harry hit the ground first, bits and pieces of rock chipping off of him. It was not the most pleasant of experiences, but the feeling of pain let him know he was alive at the very least, so he would not begrudge the sensation too much.


    If that had been the end of it, he would have been happy to lay there in his agony until it faded away, just as he did before. But alas, the world had other ideas. Six, his dear friend and ally, fell right on top of him, shattering whatever remained of the petrification.


    "Oof!" he grunted, as the air was stricken from his lungs. He looked down, forcing his neck to move through the agony, and saw a mop of black hair nearly as unruly as his own. But that visage didn''t last long, and was soon replaced with the concerned, red eyes of his companion.


    "You''re not dead, are you?" she asked. Her bedside manner was atrocious, and yet, Harry couldn''t help the snort of laughter that escaped his lips, no matter how much pain the action brought.


    "I don''t think so. What about you? Still alive?" he asked, a bit of playfulness in his tone. It was marred a bit by pain and exhaustion, as his breathing was more than a bit ragged.


    Her eyes sagged in relief as she laid her head back down on his chest. "I''m starting to think you enjoy making me worry," she said, closing her eyes. She could hear the constant drumming of his heart, beating rapidly.


    Did all hearts sound like this? She''s never heard one before, besides her own when she was in imminent danger, but that always carried with it the feeling of fear and anxiety. Nothing like the soothing melody she was listening to now.


    The sound of it easing the throbbing pain in her right arm. She found it difficult to believe he was experiencing the same ache, only through his whole body.


    "Sorry. Didn''t mean to worry you¡­ again," he apologized morosely. Six merely hummed in response, being lulled into contentment by the rhythm pounding in his chest. She could feel her own heartbeat slow with his, as two separate songs came together to form a harmonious discord. Each beat in time with the other.


    It was strange how comfortable she felt, laying there basically on top of him. But she couldn''t find the strength within her to move. Not yet at least. The exhaustion in her body held by the day''s events seemed to fade with each encore his heart echoed.


    Several minutes passed, and the pain in her arm ebbed into a dull ache. If such was the case for her, then he was likely experiencing a similar phenomenon. Which meant, as much as she disliked the notion, it was time to continue on.


    Groaning with displeasure, Six used her good hand to prop herself up. It wasn''t that she couldn''t use her other hand should she have wished it, but it was currently occupied with a more important task.


    And that was holding Harry''s hand. She was a bit surprised to find herself still clinging onto it, the stone holding them together having long since dissolved. Something you wouldn''t know by how tightly they continued to hold.


    "So, you ready to move on?" she asked, looking down into the sparkling emerald eyes of her companion. He blew hot air from his mouth, his expression turning petulant as he turned away from her, "Do we have to?"


    Raising an eyebrow at his whining, Six straddled his waist, poking him in the chest with her good hand. "Do you really want to stay here?" she asked, a hint of condescension on her lips as she gestured around them with her head.


    He winced and rubbed the area, the pain more coming from the remnants of his petrification than any real harm done by Six. He knew she was right, of course, but that didn''t mean he wanted to move. As gross and filthy as the floor was, it felt leagues better than the eye''s glare.


    "No¡­" he acquiesced, returning his gaze to her own. Six nodded in satisfaction before standing. She looked at him expectantly and Harry knew he had no choice but to stand as well. The red eyed girl helped him to his feet, Harry stumbling slightly due to the stiffness in his legs.


    "Woah," he said, as Six assured he wouldn''t return to the floor prematurely, holding him upright. "You good?" she asked, as his legs shook from the sudden strain he placed on them.


    "Yeah my legs are just a bit stiff. Give me a minute," he responded. She nodded, and the pair of them stared at the path ahead. The light from the eye only touched a small portion of the corner leading to the next segment of the hall, so there should be no problems getting past it.


    Unless, of course, a certain clumsy person, who shall remain nameless, tripped and fell. But what were the odds of that happening?


    After exactly one minute passed, Six gave him another look. One that asked if he was ready to go yet. Shaking each of his legs, Harry felt strong enough to journey forth. Giving her one of his thumbs up, the two of them prepared to leave.


    The light blinked off, and the two of them made it round the corner, hands still clinging to each other. Both of them felt some measure of excitement as they finally left that wretched hall, only to freeze in disbelief.


    There was another eye.


    "Oh come on!" Harry griped. He was really starting to hate those things, and was sure he would end up with some sort of PTSD if he kept encountering them. He felt Six squeeze his hand in comfort, though it did little to abate his frustration.


    "Let''s just get this over with¡­" he sighed. Could this day get any worse? That was probably not a question he should ask, lest the universe deign to answer in a way most obstructive.


    Unlike the eye behind them, this one operated in a way more akin to the others Six has experienced. It was on, it stayed on, and it swiveled back and forth, hoping to catch anything living unawares.


    Most of the hall was similar to the rest, with three tables on one side of the room, and an upturned one on the other side. They wouldn''t be using that one for cover, that''s for certain.


    Unsurprisingly, there were also piles of sand scattered around the area, the remnants of those who were not so lucky as to avoid the ever watchful eye. Six idly wondered if there was a way to obfuscate the eye''s vision by covering with something like paint.


    Something for another time, as they currently lacked any ability to test that theory. And even if they did, Six was done with experiments for one day. Hopefully. Best to just do what she knows works, avoid the light at all costs.


    The pair observed the light for a bit to discern its pattern. It seemed like it kept its gaze to one spot for approximately 4 seconds before moving on. Plenty of time to move between the tables.


    Then again, Six had the same thought about the previous eye as well, and that almost ended in tragedy. But thinking such negative thoughts would only hinder her. Best to stay positive. Or as positive as one could get in this place.


    "Ready?" she asked, giving her friend one last look. He returned it with a look of confidence, his false bravado returning with a vengeance. "Of course."


    Good enough.


    Waiting for the light to reach the furthest point, Six darted under the first table, Harry following close behind. She was then forced to wait as the light traveled to the center, then to the table they were under, and finally back to the center. As it moved away from the center, she once again charged ahead, making it to the second table with relative ease.


    Harry decided to wait for another rotation, but when he too made his run, he did so without issue. Both now in the center, the final sprint should be easy, but knowing the danger of complacency, Six treated it no differently than the others.


    Once the light shifted to the first table, Six shot off, reaching safety with time to spare. Once more waiting his turn, Harry did the same, doing his best to ignore his heartbeat thundering in his ears.


    But his nervousness proved unfounded, as the pair of them avoided death once more and reached the final bend of the hallway. It led them all around, basically going in a loop, a wall being the only thing that prevented the circle from completing.


    "See, that was easy," Six stated glibly, as Harry leveled a glare at her. Of course she would say that, she was the textbook definition of the word quick.


    Choosing to ignore her look of superiority, Harry surveyed the final stretch of hallway. Thankfully, there was no eye this time, only a long corridor leading to a dead end. A few paintings were hung up of people and things Harry hoped to never meet. There was only one table along this path at the very end, with shattered glass resting on top of it.


    But there was one point of interest, and that would be the door, one with an eye looking down on them like nearly every one they''ve seen until now, The Pretender''s being the odd one out.


    "What are the chances it''s locked?" Harry asked, as he and Six stared up at the door. She shrugged her shoulders in response, "Only one way to find out," she said, moving towards the door and made ready to toss him at the handle.


    Harry nodded at that, moving towards his friend and gently placing his foot in her hands. He felt a bit guilty about how dirty it was, but there was nothing he could do about that.


    Six boosted him up and Harry grabbed the handle which, to his relief, was not locked. The door slid open, revealing the next room of their journey.


    Time to see what all that security was about.

 A Mysterious Exhibit

    Six walked beside Harry as he fell from the door handle. The pair of them stared at the new room they found themselves in.


    "Woah¡­" Harry said, taking in the splendor of the room. Six found herself nodding along with his assessment. It was a far different room than any she has found herself in prior.


    The first thing was the size, for the room was truly massive. Not surprising, since it spanned nearly the entire length of the rather long hallway they just traversed. But that was only the first two dimensions. The room''s height is where its true depth lies.


    Six looked up, the ceiling was at least twice as high as the length. It was a marvel any light at all made it down to them. There was also a second floor, though it was more like a walkway, encircling the room with the center being open, allowing whoever was up there to peer down to the floor below.


    The railings of the second floor were made of carved wood, depicting things she couldn''t see from this far away. Gold paint chipped and fell to the ground, forming large piles of glittering lies.


    The walls were covered with more wallpaper, but these ones were colored black and white. Large white expanses with fleur de lis in matte black stood out as contrast. Overtop the wallpaper were paintings, which is something she was rather accustomed to. Like all the others, they were of places and things no normal human would ever wish to visit or encounter.


    There were a few that stood out. A large, decrepit ship, fighting against a tumultuous storm. A skull and bones flying proudly from the mast.


    A cabin in the deepest and darkest part of a deep and dark forest. A light coming from the windows with a shadowy silhouette waiting for its next guests.


    Eyes of course, and grotesque children with heads stretched like gum. She couldn''t see their eyes or mouths, but she knew they had one. All monsters had a mouth. How else would they eat their victims?


    Animals with too many limbs, their insides spilling into the outside. But all that one did was make her hungry. It may have looked gross, but a dead animal meant food, no matter how many extra legs it had.


    A beautiful castle with a starry backdrop, boats filled with normal looking children in robes sailing towards it. A large man with a thick beard and a lantern guiding them towards it.


    That one stood out because of how relatively normal it seemed.


    There was also one of a giant key done in a sepia tone. Not the weirdest thing she''s ever seen, but it was odd enough for her to remember. It was also in the center of the wall, making it stand out that much more.


    But the most predominant painting that she could see was, of course, one of The Pretender, staring down at them with a mocking superiority. It stood out, mostly due to the enormity of its size. It was at least four times larger than any other painting in the room, with its frame carved with delicate images and more gilded paint falling from it.


    Other than those, there were also two paintings that had nothing in them, just a blank canvas. She wondered why they would put those up. Even for mindless creatures such as them, it didn''t make much sense.


    But it wasn''t just paintings that the room held. Right dab in the center of the room was a familiar looking contraption. One they had caught a glimpse of in the secret room holding the medallion.


    The base of it was made of layered stone, forming a circle with an opening in the center. Jutting out were gears that ran in every direction without rhyme or reason, seemingly having no use beyond aesthetics. The twisted metal that made up the bulk of the machine was cut into strips, and formed a hollow spherical shape with one last ball-like object in the center, covered in small, closed eyes.


    It looked out of place, like someone thought it was "artsy" looking enough and didn''t know what else to do with it, so they placed it in here. But she doubted that was the case. Everything had a reason for being somewhere, even if the reason was nonsensical to her.


    On either side of the thing were white statues of winged humans, angels, facing towards it. Both of them were covered in black filth, much like what came from the monster made in the ritual room. Their wings were closed, nearly touching. But what was most curious about them wasn''t the dirt and grime, that was pretty much par for the course here. No, it was the large jewels embedded in their foreheads.


    The one on the left had a red jewel, and the one on the right a blue. Both of their eyes were also closed, and considering how important eyes seemed to be to these people, it was something worth pointing out.


    There appeared to be other statues in the room, or at least the remains of them. Large piles of crushed white stone could be seen in various spots, and the few that remained standing were in too great a disrepair to tell what they may have once been.


    There was no carpeting on the floor, nor were they greeted by barren twisted wood. It was some kind of stone marble, the white having been stained a putrid yellow. Intricate patterns of black swirled in dizzying patterns around large, open eyes.


    "So¡­ is this some kind of, art room?" Harry asked, looking around the very large, yet fairly empty room. The pair of them cautiously stepped further in, looking for anything that might pose even the smallest of threats.


    "Hmm¡­ more like a gallery, maybe?" Six suggested. It didn''t look like they created any art here, only displayed it. And there were some unique paintings she''s seen nowhere else. Plenty she has seen, as many seemed to be reused for some reason, but that just made the ones she didn''t recognize all the more distinctive.


    "Not sure this art is worth showcasing," Harry mumbled. He knew art was supposed to be subjective and all, but this was a bit much. But as creepy as the art itself was, he would take that over being chased by monsters any day of the week.


    Or being turned to stone, a phobia he never expected to develop. But this place had a way of making you fear things you never knew needed to be feared, and reminding you of the things that should be feared.


    "At least we found¡­ whatever that thing is," Six said, gesturing to the massive sculpture. That, Harry could agree with. Part of him thought they would be searching endlessly through the halls trying to find the thing, and yet here it is, right down the hall.


    "But what does it do? The room might be filled with them, but it doesn''t exactly paint a picture of what we''re supposed to do," Harry said. Six couldn''t help but frown at his words, and not because of the awful pun.


    Truthfully, she was hoping to get more of a hint based on where it was found, but so far, nothing came to mind. Besides its interesting appearance, she didn''t see what it had to do with art at all.


    "Only one way to find out," she said. Harry groaned quietly at her words. Finding things out, usually the hard way, tended to lead to things trying to eat them. Or just, make them not alive anymore. Both were bad options.


    The two walked as quietly as they could over to the contraption. The room seemed to grow smaller as they did, the ever present darkness encroaching on them once more, like it was trying to keep them out.


    That was either a really good sign, like they were on the right track, or a really bad one, and something was going to pop out of one of the paintings and kill them. But that would be silly. Things in paintings can''t move¡­


    Right?


    He turned to stare at one of them and he could swear the twisted face of the human simulacra looked away. He continued to gaze at it, wondering if it would move again, but it remained stubborn, refusing to budge an inch.


    "Hairy," Six called out, having reached the thing they were here for, her near silent voice easy to hear in the quiet of the room..


    "Coming," Harry said back, never taking his eyes off the painting. But it still didn''t move. And Harry had better things to do than stare at a painting all day, especially one as creepy as this one.


    "...Must have been my imagination," Harry concluded, turning away to join his friend, never noticing the gaze that followed him.


    Six was already over by the device, whatever it was, staring up at it, trying to solve its mysteries. Along the floor were little footprints in the coating of dust that lie on the ground, leading right to his friend. The trail distinctly avoided walking over the eye pattern in the floor. Harry didn''t know why, but he found the sight amusing.


    "So, this is it, huh?" Harry asked, coming to a stop next to Six. He pulled out the medallion, staring at the sheen of gold it gave off. "Now we just have to put this thingy¡­"


    He then gestured to an indention in the machine, "In that thingy¡­"


    "And then that thingy¡­" he continued, indicating the larger continuation of the apparatus.


    "Should move. Right?" he finished, turning his gaze toward Six, whose dark eyes were alight with mirth as she stared at him.


    "You have such a way with words," she japed. Harry gave her a smirk in response. "Would you have preferred I called it a doohickey?" he asked. Six gave a small snort and rolled her eyes before returning her gaze to the "thingy" as Harry so eloquently put it.


    "Whatever you want to call it is fine with me. But why don''t we see what this thingy does?" she suggested. Harry gave a nod and walked in front of the small indention, ready to activate it. But before he did, he noticed Six take a few steps back.


    "Uh, what are you doing?" he asked, now feeling a little nervous. Six gave him an innocent look, "Nothing. Just getting a better view."


    Harry raised an eyebrow at this, but didn''t say anything else. Perhaps it was better if one of them wasn''t so close to it as he started it up. Who knows what would happen?


    "If you say so. Ready?" he asked. Six''s expression turned serious, all manner of jesting removed as she gave him a nod. He returned it before turning back around, staring at the slot the medallion slid into.


    "Well, here goes nothing¡­" he mumbled, taking a deep breath. He placed the medallion in the space allotted for it, pressing it down until he heard a click. Once he did, several things started to happen at once.


    Harry took a few steps back, standing next to Six as they watched the gears begin to move, making a grinding noise as they whirred to life. As the gears slowly turned, the twisted metal frame also began to shift, spinning in seemingly random patterns.


    Next, a brick in the base spun around, revealing a button. Then, on the front left side and front right side, two holes opened up, and a pair of levers rose up from the depths.


    The angels, which had been staring at the device, rotated to now stare at the two blank paintings on the wall. Their wings opened up as well, flaring outward.


    When all this was done, the room itself seemed to dim, two of the eyes on the center ball opened up, light shining from them and going through some kind of ring held in the metal frame.


    Harry and Six continued to stare at it for a minute, wondering if anything else was going to happen. When it seemed like nothing would, they let out sighs of relief. Especially Harry, who flinched at seeing the light coming out of the eyes.


    Hopefully they didn''t turn anything to stone.


    "So¡­ now what?" Harry asked, confused. It seems like there was some sort of puzzle to solve. But what it was, he had no idea. Six hummed in response, walking towards the thingy with slow measured steps. Just because it didn''t seem dangerous, didn''t mean it wasn''t. Danger lurked in the places you least expect.


    She stared at the thingy, watching as the beams of light shot out, seemingly without purpose. But she knew that to be false. There was a reason, she just had to find it. Next she turned her attention to the button and levers, likely operating the thingy in some capacity. Probably to move the metal bands and alter where the light shot out from.


    Finally she looked towards the angels, closed eyes staring at the blank portraits. What was their purpose? For what reason did they move? And why were they now staring at empty pictures?


    Something connected them all, she just had to find out what. If she was honest with herself, she was a bit excited by the puzzle. She''d always enjoyed figuring things out and solving mysteries, so long as it engaged her natural curiosity.


    And she was certainly engaged right now.


    "We need to figure out what the button and levers do first," she suggested. Harry was a bit nervous by the prospect, but had little better idea of what to do.


    "Alright, sounds good," he agreed. Six must have heard the nervousness in his voice, because she tried to settle his fears. "Don''t worry. I don''t think this thingy is all that dangerous."


    Harry snorted when she called it a thingy. But his nerves did settle, just a bit. Seeing he was calmed down at least somewhat, Six proceeded to walk up to the button, and with only the slightest hesitation, pushed it.


    It clicked, and the eyes turned off, and the outer layer of the thingy began to move. After rotating about 90 degrees or so, it stopped, and only one eye opened this time, shooting a streak of light through another ring, this one straight up.


    "Hmm, so the button rotates it¡­ Now let''s see what the levers do," Six muttered, walking over to them. Harry noticed the small gleam of exhilaration in her eyes as she did so. Well, at least one of them was enjoying the interactive piece of art.


    She then proceeded to pull the left most lever, and one of the strips of metal spun around. When it stopped, another eye opened, shining light through a new ring.


    "So the eyes open only when they can look through a ring. Interesting¡­" Six said. With that being the case, it appeared as if they needed to focus the light in a particular direction.


    "The light needs to point at something. See if you can find it," Six said after thinking things over for a bit. Harry nodded and the two of them began searching for whatever the light was supposed to hit.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    But with the room having darkened when the thingy activated made things a bit harder. They wandered around, circling the room, looking for anything that fit the description. But Harry couldn''t see anything that might be what they were looking for. And judging by Six''s sigh of frustration, neither could she.


    Harry thought about it for a moment, and an idea popped into his head. If they needed to know what the light should hit, why not use a light of their own? Walking over to the thingy so he could get the right vector, he pulled out his flashlight, pointing it at random things around the room.


    Six, seeing the moving beam of light, turned to see what was going on. Seeing it was Harry with his flashlight, she wondered for a second what he was doing, but then her eyes widened at realizing his plan.


    "Good idea," Six said to him, making Harry jump a bit, having not heard her approach. She watched from next to him, trying to spot anything that looked right.


    "Thanks. I get them from time to time," Harry responded with a bit of cheek. But Six wasn''t paying much attention to that, "Wait, go back," she said, grabbing onto his shoulder, and pointing at something.


    Doing so, he noticed the light reflecting off of something on the second floor. "Is that¡­ a mirror?" he asked. Turning to look at Six, who had a small smirk on her face, she began tugging on his arm.


    "Come on, let''s check the other side," she said. She lightly but quickly walked over to the other side, with Harry following along. Pointing the flashlight above them, he tried to find a reflection of some kind, and wouldn''t you know it? There it was.


    "So, we need to point the light at the mirrors, reflecting it onto something else," Six muttered. She was more talking aloud to herself than to Harry. Not the best habit to have, when making any amount of noise could get them in trouble, but at least her mumblings were quiet.


    Without saying another word, she walked back to the button and levers, and began to figure out how they moved. With nothing better to do, Harry allowed her to figure it out, deciding to keep watch instead. It wouldn''t do to have something sneak up on them while she was solving the puzzle.


    It took her several minutes to discover just how the thingy operated. There were eight strips of metal, each with its own ring. But only two of them were likely to be the ones she needed. The levers only moved one strip each, which confused her for a bit, until she figured out that rotating the thingy using the button changed which of the parts the levers moved.


    Four positions, times two levers, equalled eight moving bands of metal. After doing that, it was only a matter of time until she got the right combination. Before too long, she had the beams of light pointing right at the mirrors.


    "Got it," she said out loud, drawing Harry''s attention. He walked back over to her, staring at the thingy as the light traveled through the rings and into the mirrors.


    "Good job. But shouldn''t something be happening?" he asked in confusion.


    "Hmm, you''re right¡­ There must be more to the puzzle than I thought," she said, staring at the reflected light in contemplation. So she solved part one of the problem, now she needed to solve part two.


    How hard could that be?


    She followed the beams of light as they reflected off the mirrors, hoping to find some sort of clue. But it seemed like they just went off in a random direction. They weren''t pointing at anything at all.


    "The light needs to hit something, but it isn''t. We need to adjust the mirrors somehow," she said, looking for a way to do so.


    "What about those?" she heard Harry ask. Turning to see what he meant, she could see two ladders opposite to the mirrors leading to the second floor. Her eyes lit up as she realized what needed to be done.


    "One of us needs to go to the second floor," she stated. There didn''t seem to be anything inherently dangerous in the room, at least as far as she knew, but separating still made her stomach twist in knots. The second floor was a mystery. Who knows what could be lurking in the shadows.


    "I''ll do it," Harry said firmly. Six gave him a look, noticing his nervous expression. Not scared, but apprehensive. Not that she could blame him for it, as he was volunteering to move mirrors that were in the center of light being produced by a pair of eyes. They didn''t appear to turn anything to stone, but the similarities were too great to ignore.


    "Are you sure?" she asked, and Harry gave her a determined nod. He needed to overcome his newfound fear, and this was the perfect chance to begin. The fright he felt wasn''t crippling, at least not yet, and he wanted to keep it that way.


    "Yeah, I can do it. Besides, you''re the one who knows how to work the thingy. Wouldn''t make much sense for you to go," he said. Six couldn''t argue with that. Well, she could, but any objection would sound hollow. She didn''t want him to think she didn''t trust him, especially with something as mundane as adjusting a couple of mirrors.


    "Right. Just be careful," she insisted. She had no desire to be alone again, and found herself rather fond of her new companion.


    "Who do you think you''re talking to? My middle name is careful," Harry boasted with a grin. Six rolled her eyes, but she did have a small smirk on her face.


    "Really? I could have sworn it was clumsy," she joked back. Harry feigned hurt, grasping his chest in agony, making Six sigh fondly. It was little moments like these that helped drive back the ever encroaching shadows. They may have been a slight waste of time, but they were necessary all the same.


    "Just get going already," Six said, giving him a light shove.


    "Alright, alright, geez. No need to be so pushy. Maybe that can be your middle name," he shot back, as he made his way towards the ladder. Six shook her head at his antics, watching as he took his first onto the ladder.


    It was a tall, metal thing, going straight up. It was surprisingly straight, all things considered, with only the slightest amounts of warping to be seen. A small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless.


    His first few steps were somewhat tentative, making sure the thing he was climbing wasn''t going to collapse on him. There were two ladders, no need to be hasty when he had a backup handy.


    But it seemed sturdy enough, and soon, Harry was crawling onto the second floor. He stood up, dusting himself off as he did so. Unlike the floor below, this one was made of wood, though it seemed in better condition than the previous wooden floors. He might not even get a splinter!


    You know what would be better than relying on well kept floors? Shoes!


    Regardless, he started making his way over to the first mirror, using his flashlight to guide the way. But as he turned a corner, something shot out from underneath a small end table, carrying something red in its hands. Harry jumped back, waiting for an attack that would never come.


    "Hairy, you ok?" Six called from down below. She had noticed his light hadn''t moved in a while, so she grew a bit concerned. When she saw the light move towards the edge of the walkway, and then Harry''s head pop out from above it, she released a sigh of relief.


    "Yeah I''m fine, but there''s something up here," he called down. That made Six worry all over again.


    "What is it? What does it look like?" she said back.


    "It was small, smaller than me at any rate. Its skin looked gray and wrinkly and dry, and it had this¡­ cone-like thing on its head. I think I saw some in the attic before," he described. It didn''t take Six long to recognize the thing he was describing, and felt her shoulders sag in relief.


    "It''s fine. It''s just a Nome," she told him. But it didn''t seem like that was an adequate explanation, as he tilted his head in confusion. "What''s a Nome?"


    "Not sure, but they are friendly. They''re all over the place. Don''t worry about it," she explained. Harry wasn''t sure what to make of supposedly friendly creatures in this place, but he trusted Six, and if she said it was fine, then he believed her.


    "Ok. If you say so," he said, before standing up and continuing on his journey to the mirrors. Without being startled by the only nice things in this place, he made quick time to the mirror.


    He was a bit nervous to walk into the light cast by the eye, but after taking a deep breath, he gathered his courage and did so. When nothing happened, he released said breath, the tension leaving his body.


    The mirror was placed on some sort of mount just below the edge of the walkway. A stick jutted out of a piece that was attached to the floor and looked like it was used to control the direction of the mirror. It could only go left or right, and it was currently set all the way to the right.


    Grabbing hold of the stick, he tried moving it to the left, but it was proving to be more difficult than expected. It shouldn''t surprise him, as very few things were easy to maneuver in this house. Everything seemed like it was in disrepair, and calling it rough around the edges would be rather generous.


    But he was able to eventually move it after applying a bit of elbow grease. It was slow and noisy, the metal of the base and the stick grinding against each other, kind of like the gears on the thingy, but he did it. Now he just needed to figure out what to point it at.


    Looking down, there was very little in the way of what it could be. A painting on the other side of the room perhaps, but beyond that, the only thing of note was the statue.


    Harry almost smacked his forehead. Of course it was the statue, what else could it be? They even moved after he inserted the medallion into the thingy. That had to mean they were important, right?


    Forcing the mirror to shift in the direction of the angel statue with a groan, he was able to center the beam of light directly on its forehead, right on the red jewel. But when nothing happened, he started to second guess his assumption.


    "Hairy," Six called. He poked his head over the edge again, his messy hair flopping in his face as he did so.


    "Yeah?" he asked, wondering what she could want. Hopefully a better idea of where to point this darn thing.


    "Try the other mirror. Maybe they both have to point at them," she instructed. That made sense, or at least as much sense as anything here made. So he gave her a salute, and continued with his task.


    The second mount was the same as the first, made of the same dull gray material. This one was slightly easier to move, but only slightly, and with a grunt of effort, he focused the beam right on the second statue.


    But again, nothing happened. He almost growled in frustration. What could they be missing?


    Six was thinking the same thing, staring at the unmoving statues in consternation. She knew the light needed to hit them, she felt it in her gut, but there was a third part to this puzzle, and she wasn''t sure what it could be.


    As she continued to ruminate on this dilemma, pacing around and looking about the room again for any clues, a shimmer caught her attention. It was coming from the forehead of the statue.


    Turning her eyes to it, she noticed the slight sparkle of the ruby red gem embedded in its forehead. Just like that, her mind connected the dots, but to be sure, there was something she needed to confirm.


    Making her way back to the thingy, she focused her attention on the rings connected to the bars of warped metal. It had been bothering her for some time now. Why did the light need to travel through the rings? Looking closely, she could see that they were able to hold something.


    Something like a lens.


    That was it! They needed a lens. Or two of them, to be precise. One blue, and the other red.


    "Hairy! I''ve figured it out!" Six called out, a bit louder than she intended. She would have to watch that in the future, but she was just so excited at the moment.


    "I''m all ears," Harry responded, staring at her from the second floor.


    "We need to find two lenses. A red one and a blue one. They go in the rings on the thingy. You look up there, and I''ll search down here," she explained.


    "Got it," Harry confirmed.


    The two began their search for the elusive lenses. Six checked everywhere, not that there were many places for her to check. For all the room''s size, there was very little inside of it.


    She checked picture frames, thinking it may be behind one or even embedded into the frame, but no such luck. She checked around the statues, but once again came up empty handed. The rubble piles were similarly vacant. Finally she searched around the base of the thingy, thinking there might be a secret compartment or something.


    Nothing. No matter where she searched, there was nothing. She hoped Harry was having an easier time of things.


    Harry hoped Six was having better luck than him. No matter where he looked, he could find neither hide nor hair of these so-called lenses. He checked around the paintings, the mirrors, on top of the end tables, in their drawers¡­


    But so far, nothing.


    However, there was something else missing from the second floor, and that was the Nome. Where could it have gone? He''s searched just about everywhere, but he never once saw that little creature again.


    Thinking about the tiny thing spastically running for its life, Harry suddenly remembered something. A brief flash of red coming from the Nomes hands. It was carrying something. Could it be one of the lenses?


    Only one way to find out. He just needed to figure out where the little guy went.


    Thinking about it, there must be a crack in the wall somewhere, and he just didn''t notice. So he began his search for the crack in the wall, and it proved to be a far easier thing to find than a lens. All he had to do was look under a table, the one on the opposite side of where he first reached the second floor.


    Crawling into the room, the first thing he noticed was that it was dark. He was barely able to see a thing. Thankfully, he had his trusty flashlight with him. Shining the light into the room, he jumped back with a yelp, startled by the image of a snarling hound.


    He held his hand to his chest, feeling his heart beat a mile a minute. The monster was nothing more than a painting. A very big painting, being nearly three times Harry''s size, but a painting nonetheless. How they got it into this room was a mystery best left to another day.


    The dog itself looked like a rottweiler, only one from the pits of the underworld. Its eyes glowed like red hot coals, and a small flame burned on the tip of its tail. A spiked collar hung around its neck with red stains coating it. It stood on a blackened rock, as if it had been burned, and the background was what one would stereotypically associate with hell.


    He couldn''t spot the Nome, and hoped there wasn''t another crack in the wall somewhere that it escaped to. He didn''t want to chase the Nome through the whole house just to get the lens.


    Pointing his flashlight in every direction he could, he eventually noticed something rather odd sticking out of a pile of cloth. It was pointy, shaped just like a cone.


    A familiar cone.


    Ok, so the Nome was hiding in a pile of dirty clothes. Good, now he knew where it was. All that was left was to capture it. Harry began to sneak up on the little creature as quietly as he could, hoping the wood beneath him wouldn''t betray him and squeak loudly.


    As if he were a prophet, the floor did just that. Startled, the Nome jumped up, sending bits of ragged, chewed up fabric everywhere. He turned, staring at Harry for a moment, allowing the green eyed boy to see the lens that was indeed in its hands.


    But seeing that it was discovered, the little Nome scuttled away, darting into the crack leading out of the room again.


    "Wait! I don''t want to hurt you!" Harry shouted after it, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. He began to chase after it, but before he left the room, he could have sworn he heard a threatening growl.


    Exiting the secret room, Harry frantically looked for the Nome, and spotted him scurrying down the pathway. He gave chase, yelling, "Get back here!"


    Six, hearing his shout, looked up and saw a familiar beam of light shakily darting down the hall. "Hairy, what''s wrong?" she called out.


    "It''s the Nome! It has a lens!" he yelled back. Her eyes widened at that. Not ideal, but at least they found one.


    Harry chased the Nome all the way from one end of the hall to the other. Its legs may have short and defined the word stubby, but it sure was fast. But he knew it had nowhere to go. Eventually, it would reach a dead end.


    Which of course, it did. It ran all the way back to where Harry first climbed up to this level. It stared at the ladder, cone head twitching in every direction, looking for an escape. When it couldn''t find one, it turned back around to try and run back the way it came.


    But Harry had already caught up. Those few seconds of searching bought him precious time.


    "Alright, it''s over. Now, just give me the lens, and we can all go about our business," Harry said, panting. But rather than listen to him, the little creature curled into a ball and began shivering.


    "Uh¡­" Harry said dumbly, not expecting it to do that. Now he just felt bad. Was he the villain here?


    "Did you get him?" Six asked from below him.


    "Uh, well¡­ Not exactly. I think I scared him," Harry called down.


    "Hairy¡­" Six said, and he could hear the disappointment in her tone.


    "What, I didn''t mean to! I just wanted to get the lens," he defended himself. It wasn''t like he set out to scare the poor thing, it just sort of¡­ happened.


    He heard Six give a sigh before telling him what to do. "Alright listen, you need to hug him."


    "What?" Harry asked, confused. He must have heard her wrong. Did she really just tell him to hug it?


    "They like to be hugged. Calms them down. So just hug it already," she told him. Harry wasn''t sure, but he didn''t have a better idea. Taking the lens from it by force would be the simplest solution, but doing so would make him feel too much like a bully.


    Too much like Dudley. So he''d rather avoid doing so if he could help it. And if Six said hugging them would work, who was he to argue?


    "Alright little guy, it''s okay. I don''t want to hurt you. That''s it, just stay calm," Harry whispered as he tiptoed towards the shaking, frightened Nome. It didn''t move, even as Harry stood right behind it.


    With one last, unsure look, he bent over and scooped it into his arms. The creature was somewhat cold to the touch, like a lizard that''s been in the shade too long. Its skin was rough but not uncomfortably so, and Harry found he didn''t mind the feeling.


    Not as good as hugging Six, but still fairly pleasant all things considered.


    The effect was immediate. It stopped shaking, and actually seemed to purr in delight. It almost made him feel bad to end the hug. But he had things to do, and he couldn''t spend all day hugging a Nome.


    Even if he kind of wanted to now.


    After several seconds of affection, Harry placed it back onto the ground. This time, it didn''t run, and stared at Harry expectantly, like a cat demanding more attention. It was kind of adorable, but it was time to move on.


    "Hey, I don''t suppose I could have that, could I? We sort of need it," he asked, pointing to the red lens in its hand. It looked down at it for a moment, as if contemplating, before it held it out for Harry to take.


    "Thank you," Harry said, giving it a smile. It seemed to like the praise, as it vibrated in excitement. Harry chuckled at it, watching as it bounced up and down on its feet, chittering happily.


    Harry looked at the object in his hand as it shimmered in the dim light. It looked like it was made of glass, felt like it too. The whole thing was completely smooth and cool to the touch.


    "I got it," Harry called down to Six, who sagged in relief. He walked over to the ladder and started to make his way down, giving the Nome one last grateful look. "Hey, hope to see you around. See ya."


    The Nome watched him descend to the first floor, running over to the edge and watching him go as his head disappeared from view. It made a sad chirping noise as its new friend reached the bottom.


    Harry felt himself hit solid ground once more and let out a sigh of relief. He turned to see Six giving him an expectant look. He grinned and held up the lens, her eyes zeroing in on the object.


    "Let''s see what this does, shall we?"


    Six couldn''t agree more.

 Super Harry 64

    The pair made their way back to the device in the center of the room, Six with an eager spring in her step. Sure the thing might be dangerous, and she didn''t know what could happen, but she still could not escape the need for answers that her curiosity demanded.


    Harry trailed a bit behind her, being the more cautious of the two for once. It was a weird shift in their dynamic, but Harry was somewhat relieved to see it. The light in her eyes as she solved the puzzle was a far cry better than the usual dim acceptance they usually displayed.


    And it wasn''t like she was completely ignoring the potential for danger around her. He could see her head swivel about, taking in every detail of the room and ensuring she was in relative safety. She was just moving at a far greater pace than she normally would.


    Still, he was happy to see that little bit of her humanity shine through. Thinking about it, ever since he revealed the key she''s been showing more emotion. And after what happened in the ritual room, or to be more precise, their talk afterward, she''s been becoming even more emotional.


    Not in a bad way. If anything, Harry would call it an improvement. She actually appeared more human now, rather than a living doll surviving just to spite the world that hated her. She''s even cracked a few jokes. Sure they were at his expense, but it was still nice to see.


    And with the world constantly trying to drag them into the darkness, that spark of humanity was more important than ever. Without it, if they let that spark wither and die, the Nowhere may just succeed in snuffing it out and swallowing them whole.


    The duo reached the contraption without incident, staring at it with determination. This was it, time to see just what this thingy was supposed to do. Six climbed up on the base, standing in front of the ring that guided the light to the statue with the red jewel in its forehead.


    "This is it. Hand me the lens," Six said, holding out her hand. Harry gave it to her and she stared at it for a moment, marveling at its appearance and texture. It was almost a shame to shove it into the apparatus, but it must be done. Without it, they could progress no further.


    Six carefully got on her tiptoes, reaching out for the ring. She was just tall enough to reach, and though the angle made it a bit difficult, as it had to be inserted from the top, she managed with only a marginal amount of difficulty.


    The bright light turned an ominous red as it traveled towards the mirror, bouncing off the reflective surface and heading straight towards the statue. Once it made contact with the gem, the effect was immediate.


    The angel''s eyes opened with the sound of stone grinding against stone. Hidden beneath the eyelids were a pair of ruby eyes that reminded Harry of Six''s own. Only they were real ruby''s, or very good facsimiles at any rate. But unlike his friend''s eyes, these ones shot lasers.


    Or at least, he didn''t think her eyes could do that, but you never know.


    The concentrated beams of red light hit the empty painting. At first, nothing happened, and Six thought they may have got the puzzle wrong somehow. But after several seconds, a picture began to emerge inside the painting.


    The first thing they could recognize was the water. It was choppy, raging like it was being subjected to a typhoon. Next was the rocks, which formed a tiny island, the waves crashing violently against the shore, spraying water fifty feet in the air. And finally, standing tall and proud against the buffeting winds, was a lighthouse.


    It stood hundreds of feet tall, unbothered by the winds and rain, with a bright blue light shining from the top like a beacon. Square protrusions appeared up and down its surface in various spots, likely rooms of some kind, though they didn''t look like they could hold any weight, leaning in every direction except for straight.


    The lighthouse itself appeared stretched and warped, thin in some places and fat in others, with little cohesion between the two, tilting to one side and twisting to bend to the other.


    Once it was done, the pair could only stare at it, transfixed. But when nothing else happened, they gave each other a confused look.


    "So¡­ is that it?" Harry asked, hoping Six would have a better idea of what was supposed to happen. But she seemed just as befuddled as him, her head tilted to the side in ponderance.


    "I think so. Nothing else seems to be happening. Maybe the painting itself has a clue," she responded, walking up to said painting with Harry following a few steps behind. Once there, she began to inspect every part of the picture, starting with the frame. She wanted to see if anything was different, but much to her frustration, it was exactly the same as before.


    She then moved to the actual piece of art, hoping it provided some sort of clue. But no matter how hard she looked, it appeared to merely be a lighthouse on a tiny island in the middle of a storm.


    "Can you see anything?" she asked, growing frustrated with their lack of progress. Harry hummed in response, moving closer to the painting. He doubted he would be able to spot anything Six would have missed with her superior eyes, but he was willing to give it a shot.


    So far, nothing. There was no hidden image he could see, no secret message coded into the rocks or waves. But one thing that did stick out, was the color of the light. It was blue, the same exact blue as the gem in the other angel statue''s head.


    That had to mean something right? He turned to ask Six her opinion on it, his hand brushing the canvas. But to his surprise, it didn''t feel like any sort of canvas, or paper, or anything one would expect to hold ink. No, it felt like he was touching a pool of maple syrup, or honey.


    Harry tried to pull his hand back, only much to his horror, discovered it to be stuck. He tried pulling it out, but if anything, he started to sink deeper inside. With a gasp he was jerked forward, his whole arm nearly fully inside the painting.


    "Hairy!" Six shouted from where she was inspecting another part of the painting, having heard him gasp. She rushed toward her friend and grabbed him around his waist, pulling as hard as she could, being careful not to let herself get grabbed by the painting as well.


    Unfortunately, Harry stepped on a piece of rubble, likely from one of the wrecked statues in the room. This caused him to trip, allowing the painting to yank his whole head inside. Six, who still had him in her grip, put her own foot against the wall trying to leverage it to keep her friend from disappearing into the painting.


    She wasn''t sure what to do. They kept getting dragged further and further into the painting. Or at least, Harry did. At this rate, it wouldn''t be long until he was completely absorbed into it.


    Seeing this, a dark thought entered her mind. Maybe she should just¡­ let him go. After all, the painting didn''t have a hold on her, why should they both have to die? She could save herself, all she had to do¡­ was let go.


    Her grip slackened, only slightly, but before she could make up her mind fully, before the darkness could fully take hold, she felt a hand on her own. It was Harry''s. Feeling the warmth from his hand renewed her determination, driving back the suffocating malice of the world as she gripped him tighter.


    "Don''t worry Hairy. I won''t let you go," she stated with conviction. But it seemed like Harry had other ideas. Much to her shock, and horror, Harry grabbed her fingers and started to pull them apart, weakening her grip.


    "No! What are you-" but she didn''t need to finish that question. She knew exactly what the noble idiot was doing. He was trying to sacrifice himself to save her. Like she would let that happen.


    "Hairy! You stop that right now, or else!" she threatened. She didn''t know if he could hear her, as she certainly couldn''t hear him, but that didn''t mean she wouldn''t try. She gripped him harder so he would get the message regardless and placed her other foot on the wall, using both legs to pull him out.


    He seemed to get the hint, as he stopped trying to pull her hands off of him. He braced it against the frame, pushing against it with as much leverage as he could muster. Together, they slowly dragged him out, inch by inch.


    His other hand came out of the painting, grabbing onto the frame as well, pushing with all his might. She saw his hands start to glow slightly and knew he was about to use magic to launch himself out of the painting, so she braced herself for what was about to happen.


    Sure enough, he used his power to propel the two of them away from the painting, sliding against the floor until they hit the statue behind them, coming to a stop.


    Harry groaned, sitting up and shaking the cobwebs from his head. That was not the best of landings, but at least he was alive. Looking at the painting, he watched as it seemed to ripple, like a stone thrown on a calm lake. After a few seconds, it calmed down, returning to its previous peaceful state.


    "That was something, huh?" he asked. But when he received no answer, he looked to his left, he spotted his companion, lying there unmoving.


    "Six, are you ok!?" he yelled in worry. When they went flying and hit the statue, she took the brunt of the impact. He reached over to her, gently moving her head so he could take a look at her.


    There wasn''t any blood, so that was good. She was also breathing, which was even better. "Six, wake up, please. Six¡­" he begged. Even if it didn''t seem like she was hurt that bad, the fact that she wasn''t responding still made him worried.


    He watched as her eyes fluttered open, looking around in confusion before settling onto his own. "Hairy? What''s wrong?" she asked. She watched as he sagged in relief, giving her one of his gentle smiles.


    "Nothing. Everything is fine now," he said. That only confused her more. What could have made him so worried? Her gaze shifted to the room around her and she jolted up, as if struck by lightning. The memory of what just happened flashing through her mind, causing her to glare at her companion.


    Harry gulped at seeing her look, but couldn''t for the life of him figure out what he did to earn her ire. Unlike when his uncle did something stupid to make his aunt mad. He usually knew exactly why she was angry. It wasn''t rocket science, Vernon was just thick in the head.


    And right now, he felt the same. Thick in the head. Because he had no idea what he did wrong, only that he did. "Um, Six¡­ Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked. But that was apparently the wrong thing to say, as he expression darkened even further.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Because you''re an idiot. What were you thinking back there?" she demanded. Harry still didn''t seem to understand. "What do you mean? It''s not like I was trying to get eaten by a picture on the wall," he said. However, he was now thinking about the painting he swore was moving earlier and the growling dog with far more concern than previously.


    "You tried to sacrifice yourself! Why would you do that?" she asked. A look of realization crossed his face as he finally understood the reason for her anger. But just because he knew the reason, didn''t mean he understood it.


    "What do you mean why? To protect you of course," Harry stated simply. Six clenched her fist as her gaze shifted to the ground, refusing to meet his eyes.


    "Six?" Harry asked with concern.


    "Do you think that makes you sound brave? Where do you get off trying to leave me all alone again?" she demanded, staring at him with tears forming in her eyes. She wasn''t angry with him for trying to save her, not really. A bit annoyed that he thought she needed saving, but not angry.


    The truth is, she was angry with herself. With her own cowardice. She felt disgusted that she thought, even for a second, of abandoning him. Of letting him go to get swallowed up by that thing. Her stomach twisted in knots just remembering her own weakness, and she projected that insecurity onto him. It wasn''t fair to him, she knew that, but her pride wouldn''t let her own up to it.


    Harry stared at her, eyes wide with shock. "I¡­ I wasn''t," he mumbled, but he couldn''t get the words out. He wasn''t trying to abandon her, he just wanted to keep her safe.


    "Six, listen¡­ I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to hurt you, I just¡­ I can''t stand the thought of something happening to you. You''re the best thing that''s ever happened to me, and I just¡­" but Harry wasn''t able to finish his sentence, as tears formed in his own eyes.


    Six blinked away the tears, refusing to show her own vulnerabilities. What he said didn''t make her feel better in the slightest. If anything, it made her feel worse. If he knew what she tried to do, would he still call her a friend? Even though he tried to get her to release him, she just wasn''t sure, and his pure, sincere feelings for her made the guilt all the worse. Even if she did change her mind in the end, those thoughts still came from her.


    The willingness to toss him aside to save her own skin was inside of her. And that thought terrified her more than anything.


    "Do you think I want something to happen to you?" Six asked, her intense gaze once more on him. Harry tried to wipe the tears from his eyes, but they stubbornly kept falling.


    "No, but I-"


    "No buts," Six interrupted. "It might sound all well and good to sacrifice yourself for your friends, but it''s just being selfish. How would you feel if I did the same thing for you?"


    Harry didn''t need much time to think about it. He would feel awful. And the guilt would likely never go away, knowing that he was the reason for her death. It would eat away at his insides until he became a shell of his former self.


    "I would hate it," he finally said, in little more than a whisper. Six nodded her head, already knowing the answer, because it was the same one she had. "Exactly. I''m¡­ glad that you care about me, but I care about you too. I know I''m not good at showing it, but I do. And¡­ I want you to stick around, got it? I don''t want to have to say goodbye."


    Harry stared at her, eyes wide at her admission of her feelings. Six had a small blush on her face, as she looked everywhere but at him. He smiled, wiping the tears from his eyes that finally seemed to stop. He gave a small chuckle, which made Six glare at him again.


    "And just what''s so funny?" she demanded. Harry finished wiping his eyes, before giving her a smile. "Nothing," he said, before wrapping her up in a hug. Six gave a small squawk of surprise at the gesture. "Nothing at all. I don''t want to say goodbye either."


    Six rolled her eyes, but returned the hug. The feelings of guilt continued to gnaw at her, but they weren''t as bad as before. She would just have to use this moment as a lesson and make sure she never did anything like that again.


    Because she really wasn''t ready to say goodbye. Her determination to keep a tight leash on her own inner darkness eased the sick feeling in her stomach, at least for now, but she would have to watch it in the future.


    The two sat there, enjoying each other''s warmth, when suddenly, Harry jerked backwards, startling Six. "Oh I almost forgot! The painting!" he shouted. Six tilted her head, confused. What was he going on about now? Did he hit his head or something?


    "You mean the one that nearly ate you? What about it?" she asked. Harry had a glint in his eyes, one that said he knew something that she didn''t. It irked her.


    "That one! I don''t think it was trying to eat me at all! I think it''s some kind of portal," he explained. Her mouth hung open at that, unable to formulate words. It''s not like it''s the strangest thing she''s ever heard, even if it was hard to believe. But even so¡­


    Her eyes went back to the painting, watching it suspiciously as it hung there with an air of innocence. It still looked like a death trap to her. Like a monster mimicking a painting to lure in its next meal.


    But wait, if it was a portal, doesn''t that mean the emotional turmoil they just went through was for nothing? Her face turned red again as she came to this realization, but it seems Harry did not reach the same conclusion, staring at her with a goofy smile.


    It eased her embarrassment, at least somewhat, and as long as Harry doesn''t mention anything, she would be fine. Taking a deep breath, much to Harry''s confusion, Six centered herself once again, her face an impassive mask of indifference.


    "Are you sure?" she asked. Harry didn''t know what was going through that head of hers and he got the feeling it was better he didn''t know. Girls were just weird sometimes.


    "No idea," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "But it looked that way. I could see inside of there, and it didn''t look like the inside of a monster''s stomach. Trust me, I know what that looks like."


    He shivered just thinking about that giant bird monster. He hoped she choked on her next meal.


    Six gained a contemplative look on her face, considering the implications of travel by painting. "So, what did the inside look like?" she asked. There was a part of her that held a sliver of hope that it could be another way off of the island they were on. But if the painting itself was anything to go by, that was unlikely.


    Harry thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out how to describe what he saw. "Let''s see¡­ There was this huge spinning column right in the center. The room was dark, and mostly empty, but I could see stairs leading upwards in a spiral along the outer wall. I''m pretty sure I could hear a storm outside too."


    "So it leads to the lighthouse in the painting," she surmised, which is exactly what she feared. Even if the painting led somewhere else, it almost certainly led to the image portrayed in the art. In this case, a lighthouse on a tiny island in the middle of a raging storm. It may get them out of the mansion, but it didn''t lead them anywhere better.


    It might even be worse.


    Harry nodded with an eager smile, "That''s what I was thinking. It could also be a way out of this place, right?" he asked. Six sighed, but nodded nonetheless. However, it was her duty to burst his bubble, even if she didn''t want to.


    "Maybe. But that doesn''t exactly paint a pretty picture," she said, gesturing to the painting. Harry glanced at it, but the smirk never left his face.


    "True, but there''s two more paintings, aren''t there?"


    That brought her up short. Looking at the other blank canvases, she wondered if they too would create some kind of portal. If they did, then maybe¡­


    Maybe they could leave here. It was a long shot, the slimmest of chances, but it was there. And even if it didn''t lead anywhere, there was still the original plan of finding the other key and making their way to the secret door.


    "Well, there''s only one way to find out," she said. Harry leapt up, a feeling of excitement welling up inside him. He held his hand out for Six, which she happily took, letting Harry help her to her feet.


    "Then what are we waiting for?" he asked. The pair then made their way toward the painting, hand in hand. They gazed up at it, determination in their eyes. Gingerly, they reached out their hands, the ones not coiled around each other''s, and placed it upon canvas.


    It rippled from the point of contact, and they felt themselves getting sucked inside. The feeling itself was uncomfortable. Not painful, but unpleasant in a gross way. Like diving into a pool full of snot on a cool spring night.


    It made them want to hold their breath as they were pulled along. But as soon as the sensation washed over them, it was over. They landed in a heap on the hard stone floor, the sounds of crashing waves all around them.


    Standing up, the two of them took in their surroundings. It was just like Harry described earlier. There was a massive stone pillar spinning slowly in a circle in the center of the room. A stone staircase led upward, spiraling around the outer walls, the steps uneven and in rough shape, with large chunks missing from certain spots. Moss and mold grew from various spots along the wall and stairs.


    There were a few crates along with some odds and ends around the room itself, which was massive in scope, easily 300 feet in diameter. Looking behind her, Six could see another painting, though this one showed the room they were just in. She briefly touched it with a finger, feeling that same sticky sensation as before, as the picture rippled outward from her fingertip.


    Pulling her finger back before the painting could try and suck her in, she gave a satisfied nod, knowing they had a way to escape. Six then returned to Harry''s side, who was still observing the rest of the room.


    The only thing he didn''t describe was the cold. The temperature wasn''t freezing, but it was uncomfortable, even with their warmer clothes. Six felt herself shiver a bit, wrapping her arms around herself as thunder rumbled loudly in the sky.


    "Looks like you were right," she said, looking around the room. She was distracted from this by feeling something draped over her shoulders. Looking at it in confusion, she saw it was a brown jacket. A familiar brown jacket.


    Shifting her gaze to Harry, she saw him giving her a smile, before turning to look around the room himself. "How tall do you think this thing is?" he asked, leaning backwards, trying to see just how high up they would have to climb.


    "Hairy?" Six muttered, getting his attention. She had a small glare on her face as she stared him down. "Didn''t we just talk about this?" she asked, gesturing to the jacket around her shoulders.


    "What? You were cold," he stated nonchalantly.


    "And what about you?" she asked with a raised brow. He gave her a grin, holding up his arm like he was showing off his muscles. His tiny, emaciated muscles.


    "What, me? I''m fine. I like the cold. Besides, with all the running around I was doing, I need to cool off a bit."


    She glared at him for a bit longer before her gaze softened a bit, subconsciously pulling the jacked closer to herself. "Thank you¡­" she mumbled, but Harry heard her all the same, giving her a more sincere smile.


    "Anytime Six."


    She returned his smile with one of her own, though in her own Six way. Which meant that for a normal person they wouldn''t be able to tell. But then her look shifted once more, returning to her previous glare. "But I expect you to tell me if you get cold, got it?"


    "Yes ma''am!" he saluted. Six rolled her eyes at him, turning away so he couldn''t see her little grin. Her eyes traveled to the stairs, frowning at them. She walked over to them, hearing the pitter patter of Harry''s bare feet following behind.


    Knowing he was there, watching her back, brought a new wave of comfort and gratitude to her being. It was the feeling of trust, and wasn''t that a shock. Just barely a day into their friendship, and she already trusted him to have her back.


    The world sure works in mysterious ways. The Nowhere especially.


    But back to the stairs, the size of them made her frown. They clearly weren''t made for someone of their stature.


    "Man, this is going to be fun," Harry complained, rich with sarcasm. Seems like he had the same thought as her. She nodded her head with a sigh, "That''s one way of putting it. But I don''t see another way but up."


    "Hmm, me neither. Maybe it''s a good thing you''re wearing my jacket. Looks like we''re about to work up a sweat," Harry said, mirth in his eyes. He wasn''t looking forward to climbing, literally, up the stairs, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t add a little bit of levity to the situation.


    "So that was your plan all along? Make me the sweaty one? And to think I trusted you," she sighed out, making Harry snicker. Her stomach twisted at her own remark, remembering how she was about to let him go earlier, how she was going to betray his trust, but she banished it from her mind.


    She wouldn''t do it again, but the whispers in the back of her head only seemed amused by that belief. She really hated this place.


    "Right, let''s get started. If the painting is anything to go by, we need to reach the top and take the blue lens. Who knows how long this portal will stay open, so we should hurry," she stated, getting a serious nod from Harry.


    With that, they started to climb the lighthouse stairs, unknowing of the dangers that lurked above.


    <hr>


    Small Omake (Inspired by a review from Endergabri on ff.net)


    "So tell me, what is the purpose of a rubber duck?" Mr. Weasley asked, shoving some freshly cooked bacon into his mouth. Harry, confused, opened his mouth to answer, only to be beaten to the punch by Six.


    "Distraction," she stated plainly, scraping some rather pleasant-smelling jam onto a piece of toast. She still had a hard time processing the fact that she could eat good food every day, but she wouldn''t complain over the fact.


    "A distraction, really?" Mr. Weasley said intrigued.


    "Yes. You throw it and the Residents would run right towards it. The brighter and louder, the better," she said, savoring her first bite. The rest of the Weasleys stared at her, not sure what to make of the explanation. Just what are Residents?


    "Erm, Six. I think he meant what it is to normal people. Not the Residents," Harry whispered to her. This made Six pause and reevaluate her statement.


    "Oh... Then I have no idea."


    Omake end.

 A Tough Climb

    Six grunted as she pulled herself up another step. Her body was coated in a light sheen of sweat, despite the cold. Maybe Harry had the right idea giving her the jacket? Looking back, she reached down and helped him up the last step, watching with some amusement as he rolled onto his back, panting for breath.


    "Thanks," he breathed out. Those steps were much harder to climb than he thought. And he thought they''d be pretty hard to begin with. Each step was as tall as them, meaning they literally had to pull themselves up.


    "Your welcome," Six stated, looking around. They were on a flat area, with a door next to them. From what she could spot by looking up, there were at least four other rooms before they reached the top.


    She wasn''t sure if they should check the room or not, as the thing they needed was at the summit. But at the same time, they could use a break before continuing their arduous journey. And who knows, they might just find something useful inside.


    "Come on," she told him when his breathing mostly evened out. Harry watched as she stood up and made her way over to one of those creepy doors with the eye on it. He wondered if that was a common theme throughout this world, or was it just places connected to The Nest?


    Groaning, Harry forced himself to his feet, reluctantly mind you, and made his way over to his friend, who assumed the position. Not having the energy to argue, he placed his foot in her hands and she threw him up to the handle.


    The door opened with a loud squeak, causing them to flinch. Both of them darted away from the door, ready to hide somehow if something came looking. After several tense seconds, they released a sigh of relief when nothing came to hunt them.


    Making their way towards the room, they opened the door the rest of the way, trying to be as quiet as possible. Once there, they were greeted by what looked like a storage room of some kind, with all kinds of baubles and trinkets lining up several shelves.


    The room was damp, something they expected, and they could hear the constant dripping of a leaky roof. Or perhaps a pipe, they didn''t know.


    Slowly and carefully, they made their way further in, looking about every which way for danger. But besides the obnoxious sound of the dripping constantly ringing in their ears, there didn''t seem to be an immediate threat.


    "So, any idea of what we should be looking for?" Harry asked quietly. Six looked around the room, narrowing her eyes at all the seemingly useless things shoved into the room. Nothing was organized in any way, and most of it was just shoved onto a rack without a care.


    "The top room is most likely locked, so look for a key. Or anything that could be useful," she said, getting a nod from him. The two separated, each going down a different aisle. The room wasn''t very big, so they weren''t afraid to divide and conquer, so to speak.


    The two silently creeped along the floor, both doing their best to make as little noise as possible. Something that was instinctual to both of them at this point, though for different reasons. Six because of her experience in the Nowhere, and Harry from his experience at the Dursleys.


    Looking around, Harry noticed that most everything was broken. It reminded him of the attic. Who needs a box full of broken light bulbs? He''s heard of hoarding, but this really took the cake.


    Seeing a cloth covering a plastic bin, Harry carefully removed it¡­


    "Hss!"


    "Ah!"


    Only to jump back startled as a rat, with pitch black fur matted together, hissed angrily at him for disturbing his nap. The worst part was he slipped on the wet, slick floor, landing painfully on his back. He watched as the rat scurried away, out of the room, only to stop at the entrance to look back and give him a smug look.


    "You ok?" Six asked from the other side of the aisle. Harry sighed, resting his head against the cool, stone floor.


    "Yeah, I''m fine. Why is it always me though?" he grumbled, making Six snigger a bit. Harry looked up, and spotted something on the top shelf. It looked like a crank or a winch, he wasn''t sure.


    "Hey Six," he whisper yelled.


    "Yeah?"


    "I think I found something."


    Six abandoned the thing she was looking through, which was just a box filled with doll heads, making her way towards her friend. Seeing him laying there, relaxing on the floor made her raise one of her delicate brows at him. Seeing she was paying attention to him, he pointed up at something. Following his gaze, her eyes landed on the crank as well.


    "Think we''re going to need that?" he asked. Six hummed in thought. So far, they haven''t found anything of use in this room, and she hasn''t spotted any other exits either. No vents of cracks in the wall of any kind.


    "Probably. Wait here, I''ll get it," Six said. Harry nodded, which looked funny given his position. Six looked for the best way to climb up before she started her journey. She started on the left side, climbing up some boxes that were stacked together, going up a couple of rungs before she had to stop.


    She made her way onto the shelf, carefully avoiding all the broken things laying haphazardly across it. Making it to the other side she climbed onto a cage, climbing it to the next level. From there she made her way to the center, where she tugged on a rope dangling over the edge, making sure it was stable. Satisfied that it was, she climbed that up.


    Finally, she only had one more level to go. She made her way all the way back to the left, climbing on some plastic crates. But there was a large, wooden box blocking her from going straight up, so she had to shimmy around the corner to climb up the side before finally making it to the top.


    Harry, who had been watching her the whole time, ready to catch her should she fall, sighed in relief. Not that he doubted her abilities or anything, but it was better safe than sorry.


    Six walked over to the crank, inspecting it. As far as she could see it was in working condition. She looked over the edge, seeing Harry staring up at her. "I''m going to throw it down, so look out," she called down. Harry gave her a salute, making her shake her head wryly at him.


    She picked up the fairly heavy crank, and held it over the edge before dropping it. Harry, who was over at the far end of the room now, winced at the heavy metal banging sound that echoed throughout the room. The crank bounced a bit, skidding across the floor before coming to a stop as it hit a shelf.


    "All good?" Six said.


    "I think so," he yelled back. Six nodded and started to make her way back to the ledge she crawled up on, when a loud bang made her stop in her tracks. It sounded like a door slamming shut.


    Harry down below also stopped, staring at the entrance of the room with trepidation. He hoped that sound was just a figment of his imagination, but his worst fears were realized when he heard the tell tale thumps of something big and heavy walking down the stairs.


    Something he heard everyday living at the Dursleys. But more importantly, it meant something was coming.


    "Quick, hide!" Six called out, diving behind the large wooden box next to her. She would have hid inside, but it was filled with hair. Doll hair, and not the kind that belonged to the human dolls The Pretender likes to play with.


    She hoped.


    Hearing her shout spurred Harry to action as he ran towards the shelf along the wall, intending to hide beneath it. But then he remembered the crank. It would look awfully suspicious if that was left out in the middle of the floor.


    Even if the monsters here weren''t the smartest, he''d rather not take that chance. So he quickly sprinted back towards the crank, even as the footsteps steadily got louder. He picked the thing up and stuck it on the bottom shelf, grunting at the weight of it.


    Looking towards the door, he could see a light getting brighter. Figuring he didn''t have enough time to make it back to the other shelf, Harry hid beneath this one, right underneath a box of junk. Hopefully that would be good enough.


    It didn''t take much longer after that before their guest made an uninvited appearance. Six, who was peeking out from behind the box, widened her eyes at the sight of it.


    The Resident came lumbering it, heavy footsteps thumping loudly in the dimly lit room, almost in perfect timing with the dripping of the water. Its feet were covered by large, thick rubber boots, colored a reddish brown and covered in holes. With every step, thick, greenish black ooze squelched out from them.


    His pants were a dark brown, and covered in innumerable stains. Six shuddered to think what, or who, could have made them. A large leather coat covered his torso, hiding his bulky form from sight. Two large pockets were sewn on either side of the coat, big enough for a child their size to hide inside. Not that she''d ever want to.


    In his left hand was a lantern, or at least something that resembled one. It looked like it was completely made of metal, and there was a large eye sculpted into it, shining an eerie light into the room.


    But the strangest thing about him was his head. Like most of the Residents, his face was warped and twisted, and his skin was a splotchy green. That, however, wasn''t the weird part. What made him so strange was the fact that his head was completely encapsulated by a glass structure that looked like a copy of the one on top of the lighthouse, the one that housed the beacon.


    He stopped in the doorway, looking inside, searching for whatever made the noise. Six knelt back behind the box to make sure she wasn''t caught. After staring at the room for a bit, he made his way inside, head inside the glass turning slowly to look at everything in the room.


    As he stepped neat where Harry was hiding, some of the slime from his boots splashed onto him, making him flinch back. Not just from the feeling of it, but the smell; like cabbage left to rot in the sewer. But in doing so, his foot kicked something behind him, making a startlingly loud scraping noise.


    Everything seemed to stop, and Harry unconsciously began to hold his breath, fear taking over. He watched the boots take those lumbering steps, turning to face him. Without a doubt he was looking for what made the noise. If Harry was lucky, he wouldn''t bother checking underneath.


    But since when was he lucky? He heard him checking above him, moving things along the shelves, searching, but when he didn''t find anything, he went to a lower shelf. If he moved the box Harry was hiding under, it was all over.


    He started to think of what he could do. His magic was always an option, one which it was looking like he would need to use. Judging by his appearance, Harry could hazard a guess and say the glass structure holding his head was his weak spot. So if he could just break that¡­This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He heard the box above him rattle, and knew he didn''t have the time to consider his options more closely. Once the box was moved, he would be forced to act.


    Six, who had been watching this, thought of her own plan to get him out of trouble. Luckily, the big oaf wasn''t looking in her direction, which gave her pretty much free reign to do as she pleased.


    Her thoughts on his weakness mirrored Harry''s own, so she looked for something heavy she could throw at it. Unfortunately, she couldn''t find anything like that. Releasing a frustrated sigh in her mind, she looked to see what she could use.


    That''s when she had her lightbulb moment. Literally. She spotted an intact lightbulb just begging to be thrown. That would make for a decent distraction.


    Carefully making her way towards it, taking every measure to ensure she didn''t make any noise that would give away her position, she picked up the lightbulb and faced the door. Using all of her strength, which was a surprising amount given her stature, she chucked it, watching as it sailed in an arc, crashing to the floor just in front of the door.


    The monster immediately turned to face the noise, lantern held high, the beam of light shooting out from the eye in its center, making contact with the shattered remains of the lightbulb. But that wasn''t the only thing. It seems the rat had chosen to make an appearance, getting caught in the beam as it entered the room.


    It immediately began turning into stone. It let out a pitiful squeak of agony before it was completely petrified. Six, who had knelt down to hide behind a stuffed, grotesque, teddy bear, watched this happen almost spellbound. She thought the lantern was just a lantern, but this¡­


    This was bad. Those eyes were a pain when they were stationary, let alone mobile. She watched as the monster walked up to the stone rat and picked it up, turning it around in its thick, putrid green hands. After a moment, it made a grunting noise, before squeezing, shattering the poor animal to pieces.


    With that, it began to trudge outside, plodding along slowly. Once outside, it turned left heading back up the stairs. Six watched as the light from the lantern slowly disappeared from view.


    Several tense seconds went by, with neither of them daring to move until they could no longer hear his footsteps. Once that happened, she left her hiding space, staring at the entrance with trepidation.


    She saw Harry climb out from underneath the shelf, shaking dust out of his wild head of hair. If she weren''t so rattled by that encounter, she may have found it amusing.


    "Hairy, you ok?" she whispered down to him. He looked up at her and gave her a shaky thumbs up. Sighing in relief, Six began her somewhat arduous journey back to the ground. Not for the first time she cursed how small she was. Made hiding easy, sure, but everything else was a bit of a pain.


    Once she reached the ground, she walked up to Harry, who was standing by their prize, the crank, which they had no idea if they would need it or not. Six was banking on yes, if for no other reason than to make all the trouble she just went through to get it worthwhile.


    "I hope this was worth the trouble," Harry muttered, echoing some of Six''s thoughts. And their struggle was only just starting, because now they would have to somehow get the heavy, metal object up the stairs.


    Six walked up to the crank and picked it up. "Need some help with that?" he asked. Six shook her head, making her way towards the door. Once they were there, they couldn''t help but stare at the pile of dust and rock that used to be a rat.


    "I kind of feel bad for it," Harry said, not stopping. Six nodded, though she was mostly upset that they lost a potential source of food rather than any real empathy for the rat. She''s seen what they could do if they were hungry enough, and it wasn''t pretty.


    Still, being turned to stone wasn''t the best way to go.


    The pair made it to the stairs, and they took a moment to gaze up at the daunting challenge ahead of them. Seeing them up close, Six realized there would be no way for her to throw the crank up to the next step.


    "Hairy do you think you can get up on the next step and pull this thing up?" she asked, slightly out of breath. They may not have had to walk very far, but the distance was more than enough while carrying this thing with her.


    "Oh, right. Gimme a second," he responded.


    "No rush," she snarked back, making Harry roll his eyes. He jumped up and grabbed the ledge before hauling himself up. Once there, he turned around, grabbing the lever of the crank before hefting it up.


    Six was relieved when the weight left her arms, rubbing some feeling back into them. She heard her companion set the crank down before seeing his mop of messy black hair leaning over the edge. He reached a hand out for her to grab so he could help her up to the next step.


    Six smiled at the sight. "Always thinking of me, aren''t you?" she thought, jumping up and grabbing his hand. He helped her up, and they sat there for a minute, mostly so Six could catch her breath.


    "By the way, thanks for that in there. I wasn''t sure what I was going to do," Harry said, giving her a grateful smile.


    "Probably something reckless," Six responded with a little smirk. Harry gave an affronted huff, turning away from her, which only made her smirk more. He sure as heck wasn''t going to admit that''s exactly what he was about to do.


    "Whatever, let''s just get this stupid thing up the stupid stairs already," Harry said, picking up the crank with an angry groan. Six sniggered a bit before she got up, climbing to the next step.


    The two would continue this alternating pattern of holding up the crank while the other hauled it to the next level. It took them far longer than they would have liked, but they weren''t willing to take a break either, knowing that The Lighthouse Keeper could show up at any minute.


    Eventually they manage to reach the next floor, huffing and puffing from the excursion.


    "Finally¡­ We made it¡­" Harry huffed out. His small, emaciated body was not meant for such strenuous exercise. His stomach roared loudly, almost sounding like the thunder that rumbled outside.


    He held it with his hand, rubbing it softly, idly counting his very visible ribs as he did so. He was really regretting throwing up earlier. "Think they have food in this place?" he asked, giving Six a sidelong glance. She gave him a nod, "Yeah, they must. Where there''s rats, there''s food. And that rat was pretty fat."


    Thinking about it, he couldn''t help but agree. That rat did look well fed. Sure its fur was a mess, but that rat itself looked as healthy as could be. Kind of made him jealous.


    "So we just need to find the pantry. Think we''ll get lucky and it''s behind that door?" Harry asked, gesturing to the door with his head.


    "Knowing our luck it''s probably locked," she commented.


    "You just jinxed it, I hope you know that," Harry accused, making Six roll her eyes. She forced herself to her feet, dusting her clothes off, before offering Harry her hand. "Come on, let''s see for ourselves," she said. He grabbed it and let her haul him to his feet.


    "Fine, but I reserved the right to blame you if it is locked," Harry said.


    "Whatever makes you feel better," Six said, smirking as Harry grumbled as he followed behind. Once they reached the door, she tossed him up, watching as he grabbed the handle, which refused to budge.


    Harry then dropped to the ground, giving Six the stink eye. "I blame you."


    Six rolled her eyes again, giving him a lighthearted push, "No use complaining. Come one, let''s keep going," she said, making him groan.


    "Do we have to take that thing with us? We don''t even know if we need it," Harry complained. Six raised an eyebrow at him. "And what if we do need it? Do you really want to climb back down here to get it?"


    It wasn''t like she enjoyed the workout, but she was almost certain it would save them some grief in the long run if they just sucked it up now.


    "No¡­" Harry moaned in a defeated tone. Six gave him a head pat to make him feel better, but he just swiped her hand away with a petulant pout.


    The two then continued their journey upward, making slow but steady progress as they did so. Their arms and legs were burning by this point, and their lungs felt like they were on fire, but still, they made it to the third floor.


    "Look¡­ at that¡­ we''re¡­ halfway there¡­ already¡­" Six wheezed out. Harry would have responded, but he was far too tired to. He couldn''t even think of a snarky comeback in his mind. All he could do was lay there and suck up oxygen.


    Several minutes went by before they managed to force themselves onto their feet. It was more time then they should have taken, considering the danger that lurked above them and not knowing when it could return, but they just couldn''t force themselves to get up.


    Not even Six.


    But eventually their rest ended, and they made their way to the door, with Six throwing Harry at the handle again. Unlike the door below them, this one opened up easily enough. Unfortunately, it also let out a loud, grinding squeak as it did so.


    Harry dropped to the floor, and the two of them stood there, waiting with baited breath to see if The Lighthouse Keeper would make an appearance. The sound of a door above them opening with the same sound as the one in front of them gave them their answer.


    "Quick, inside!" Six whispered, as the door above them squealed shut. She quickly ran over to the crank and grabbed it before looking up. She could see the light coming from that accursed lantern slowly making its way down the stairs.


    Not wasting any time, she darted back towards the open door, with Harry waiting just on the other side. Once she was inside, he pushed against the door, shutting it tight. No reason to give the monster a clue to where they are. With any luck he would just move on and check the floors below.


    But just in case¡­


    They needed a place to hide. Turning around, he saw the room he was in for the first time, having not paid much attention when he first entered. When he did, he couldn''t stop the shiver that ran down his spine.


    It was similar to the ritual room in that it was covered with cages of mostly one size. Sure there was some variation between them, but it was clear they were meant to house someone of his and Six''s size. Some of them were tipped over on their sides, others were dented or broken, and some were so rusted they would probably never open.


    The initial sight of them caused his heart to quicken, and for a moment he felt lightheaded. Just remembering what happened in that place was enough for his brain to shut down.


    But a noise broke him out of it, and he stared at the form of Six, who had dropped the crank behind a box. Shaking his head clear of the fear, he quickly made his way towards her, and together they made their way further back, squeezing through a gap between two cages.


    Now hidden, they once more waited. Soon enough they heard the sound of The Lighthouse Keeper''s footsteps against the backdrop of rain and thunder. They stopped in front of the door, and Harry cursed their rotten luck.


    The door opened with another screech, and that terrifying light illuminated the room. They ducked behind the cages, making sure not a single part of them could be seen. If it was, the monster would know for sure where they were.


    The light passed over every inch of the room, with its handler gazing insided, hoping to find something. But when it couldn''t find anything, it gave a huff, before turning around, slamming the door shut and continuing towards the floors below.


    Six and Harry let out sighs of relief. They waited until his footsteps disappeared before coming out from behind the cages.


    "That was close. That guy needs to get a better hobby," Harry said, as the two stood in the center of the room, next to a large pillar. Now that there wasn''t the threat of danger, they could observe the room in its entirety.


    Six looked all around, trying to spot anything that was out of place, with Harry using his flashlight to get a better look. The room was fairly dark, with a dull lightbulb above them their only source of light.


    "Look, there," Six said after a bit of looking. Harry followed her line of sight, and saw some kind of indention in the large pillar.


    "What is it?" he asked, walking closer to it.


    "I''ll show you," Six said, in a tone that Harry would classify as smug. He watched as she made her way back towards the crank before picking it up. She then headed straight for the pillar, giving Harry a pretty good idea of what was about to happen.


    His theory was proven correct as she slid part of the crank into the slot, leaving the lever outside. Once that was done, she started to turn it, slowly, as quietly as she could. From above them, a hook connected to thick chains descended. Once it reached approximately their height, she stopped.


    However, when she released the crank lever, the chain began to rise up. Seeing this, Harry grabbed onto tit to prevent it from doing so, but mostly just to keep the noise down.


    "Looks like it was a good thing we brought that crank up here after all," she said, saddling up next to him, a haughty, pleased look on her face. Harry rolled his eyes at her, "Yeah, yeah, good job. But what exactly are we supposed to do now?"


    Six hummed in thought before grabbing the flashlight from Harry, who was too preoccupied to use it. She focused the light on the chain, following where it went, which turned out to be into the rafters above the cages. From there she wasn''t sure, but there was likely a path up there they couldn''t see.


    But first, they needed some way to hold the chain down. They could attach it to the crank itself, but that would angle the chain, making it harder to climb. She supposed they could separate as well, with one of them operating the crank to raise the other one up, but she didn''t want to do that either. They were stronger together.


    She began looking around for something to use as a counter weight, when she spotted a cage slightly sticking out from the rest. Not only that, but there was a ring on top they could stick the hook through.


    That would work, the only problem was the noise. There was little doubt they would be heard even with the storm outside masking some of the sound. And this time, it was unlikely The Lighthouse Keeper would be so blas¨¦ about looking for them. Once they attached the hook, they would need to climb fast.


    She explained the plan to Harry, who looked nervous, but agreed. Harry brought the chain over as far as he could so he could attach it and help her drag it over faster. They didn''t want the climb to be harder than it had to be, so they wanted the chain as straight as they could get it.


    Not wanting to waste anymore time or let doubts sink in, Six made her way to the cage, turning back to her friend. "Ready?" she asked.


    "Ready," he answered. That was all the confirmation she needed. She grabbed the cage and began to pull, wincing at the incredibly loud squealing noise it made as she dragged it across the ground.


    It was somewhat slow going, as the cage was pretty heavy and the stone floor was not the smoothest thing to drag it across, but she was making steady progress. When she was about halfway there, Harry shoved the hook through the ring before running to the other side and pushing. With his help, it didn''t take them long to make it to the center.


    "Alright, we did it. Now we just have to-" but Harry was interrupted by the sound of footsteps making its way up the stairs. They gave each other a panicked look, before Six called out, "Climb!"


    She jumped on top of the cage and began to climb. Once she was on the chain, Harry followed right after. They didn''t have too far to go, but they were still in a race against time.


    Would they be able to make it?

 A Not so Friendly Encounter

    The duo raced up the thick, dangling chain as fast as they could, the ever increasing threat of the Lighthouse Keeper thumping closer and closer with every second that passed spurred them to move quicker. They weren''t sure, but it seemed like he was moving faster than before.


    Which is the exact opposite of what they wanted. Six''s arms shook as she pulled herself up, clutching onto the cold, rusty chain like a lifeline. But no matter how tired she may have been she knew she couldn''t stop. To stop meant to die, and Six was far from ready to die.


    Glancing down, she saw her friend, Hairy, doing his best to keep pace with her, but he was every bit as exhausted as she was, probably even more so. However, even with his wheezing breaths, he continued to push forward with everything he had.


    The two were almost to the top when they heard the door handle jingle, the noise making them speed up. Any second now, the Lighthouse Keeper would burst through the door and shine his petrifying lantern on them. They had to reach the top before that happened.


    The door opened just as Six made it to the top. The chain was connected to a metal pulley leading to who knows where. But that wasn''t what she needed anyway. She was above the wooden beams, which meant all she had to do was jump onto one and their thickness should provide ample cover.


    She didn''t have the luxury of lining up her jump properly, not with the Resident entering the room, but thankfully the jump was a fairly easy one to make. Placing one of her bare, dirty feet into one of the links in the chain, she hopped backwards, landing with a light thump.


    She did it, now all they needed was for Harry to do the same. She could see the light from the monster down below, inspecting the room and more specifically, the chain. He seemed more interested in the cage connected to the chain at the moment, which would buy them a few precious seconds.


    She knew by now that Harry was slower than her and seeing where he was did not fill her with the greatest of confidence. He was obviously straining to push himself faster up the chain and part of her worried that he would slip and fall in his haste. But he had little choice. She could see the creature down below get the bright idea to inspect the chain itself, the light slowly rising further and further up in.


    Six held her hand out for Harry to grab, meaning he had less distance to travel up the chain. She didn''t know if it would be enough, but she had to try. Seeing this, Harry''s eyes gained an even more determined glint, as he managed to speed up.


    It was now or never. If he didn''t jump now, he wouldn''t be able to. He would turn into a stone statue hanging off the chain. At least until he fell and became rubble on the floor.


    Doing the same thing Six did before, placing his own bare, dirty foot into the link, he jumped with all his might, arm extended to grab hold of hers.


    And succeeded. He clasped her hand tightly, with all the strength he could bring to bear. Six grunted as he swung a bit before she started pulling him up. The light was close now, merely feet away. But just as it seemed like it would catch Harry''s foot, he managed to make it over the wooden beam, landing on top of Six with a grunt as a deadly bright light lit up either side of them.


    The two stared into each other''s eyes, both doing their best to control their breathing and not give away their position. The monster below should lose interest soon enough, they just had to wait him out. It wasn''t an easy endeavor, and Harry looked like some kind of fish with how deep he was breathing in through his mouth.


    Luckily for Six, Harry was rather light, so it wasn''t exactly uncomfortable that he was on top of her. Not in the physical sense, at any rate. But she did feel some discomfort in just how close the two of them were. Sure they''ve hugged before, but this felt different, in a way she couldn''t recognize. But for now, she would just have to endure it. She wouldn''t allow a minor amount of discomfort to give away their position.


    Harry himself was feeling similarly awkward about their position but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment either. He didn''t dare move, in fear of catching that thing below them''s interest. All he could do was give her an apologetic look, which she appreciated.


    The Lighthouse Keeper swiveled his lantern back and forth around the ceiling, looking for someone or something that made all that noise. This continued for nearly a minute before he gave up, grunting in dissatisfaction. The light surrounding the two children disappeared, making them sigh quietly in relief.


    But they remained still, at least until they heard him leave, shutting the door closed behind him. They felt their bodies relax, the tension melting away. That was far too close for comfort.


    "He''s gone, Hairy. You can get off now," Six whispered. His eyes widened when he realized he was still laying on top of her. The relief of escaping coupled by the exhaustion he felt made him want to just lie there.


    Not to mention, Six was remarkably warm. The feeling was strange to him, as it wasn''t the warmth of say, a thick blanket or a raging hearth. It was something else, something not quite physical that he just couldn''t put his finger on.


    He looked down into her eyes, which were getting somewhat annoyed, and he realized he hadn''t moved. "Sorry!" he whispered, quickly getting off of her. The two sat up, sitting cross legged on the beam, simply taking a moment to enjoy peace.


    They would love to enjoy the quiet, but between the storm outside and the heavy footsteps inside, there simply was no quiet to enjoy. But a moment of peace, that was something to be treasured.


    "So, what now?" Harry asked, looking around the space they found themselves in. They were at the top of the room, with the ceiling maybe three feet from their heads, giving them plenty of room to move. Several identical joists went across the room, all of them in somewhat rough shape, just like the one they found themselves on. The threat of a splinter was very real.


    "We look for an exit. A vent or a crack. Anything that might lead us out of here," Six responded, eyes training across the area as well. Unfortunately for them, the light that illuminated the space below was mounted below them, so the light up there wasn''t exactly the brightest.


    Luckily, a certain green eyed boy had the solution to just such a problem. Pulling out his flashlight, Harry started looking for anything that might be a way out. The beam of light traveled through the air, illuminating the filthy, stain covered ceiling.


    A large spider, one that was more than big enough to eat them, scurried away as the light struck him, leaving behind a cocoon. "Probably his dinner," Harry thought, shivering at the sight of the thing.


    Back at the Dursleys, he never had a problem with the local arachnids. In fact, they were basically his only friends. But for some reason he doubted that one would be as friendly. He could just barely see it, waiting in the shadows for the light to pass, glaring at him.


    He''s just making new friends all over the place.


    Moving past the spider, but keeping in mind where it is, Harry continued his inspection. After about a minute or so of searching, he managed to spot something on the wall that was a different color.


    "There, do you see it?" Harry asked, keeping his light trained on the spot. He squinted his eyes to try and see what exactly it was, but everything being covered in filth made it hard to tell.


    "Hm, it looks like a vent cover. But it''s rusted and coated with I don''t know what," Six responded, her sharper eyes able to discern what it was. But even for her it was a bit of a challenge.


    "I guess that''s our way out. Now, how do we get over there?" Harry asked, shining his light and looking for a path. It would have been easy if it was along the same beam that they were on, but it looked to be a few over.


    Thankfully, there seemed to be pieces of wood connected to the ceiling beams, forming a sort of bridge. They weren''t nearly as thick, but they should be able to cross if they were careful.


    Now having an idea of where to go, the two of them took a few more minutes to rest before standing up, somewhat reluctantly. They wouldn''t have minded a longer break, but The Nowhere had a way of surprising you if you remained idle for too long.


    As they made their way towards the first bridge, Harry shined his light on the spider again, making it flinch back with a hiss. He wasn''t sure that was a sound spiders were supposed to make, his determination to avoid the thing increasing.


    When they made it to the bridge, Six gingerly placed her foot on it, slowly adding her whole weight. Luckily it seemed fairly sturdy, not budging an inch. Once she deemed it significantly secure, she placed her second foot on it as well.


    The whole thing was barely wider than her foot, making balance a key factor to walking across. Thankfully, Six had that in spades. She held her arms out and slowly made her way over. The bridge itself was only about two feet, give or take, so it didn''t take her long to make it to the other side.


    "Your turn," she said, turning around to face him. Harry peered down, gulping at the long drop. If he fell, he would not be getting back up.


    "Don''t overthink it. Just put one foot in front of the other. You''ll be fine," Six encouraged, boosting Harry''s confidence. Not wanting to keep a lady waiting, Harry placed one foot onto the beam, before carefully placing his second.


    He wobbled a bit, but once it seemed like he wasn''t about to fall to his doom, he started across, doing as Six said and placing one foot in front of the other, trying his best not to look down again.


    Thankfully, nothing horrible happened and Harry made it across just fine, sighing in relief as he made it onto the much bigger piece of wood.


    "There, you see? That wasn''t so hard. Just one more to go," Six said, getting a friendly glare from Harry.


    The two made it over to the second bridge, repeating the process as the first one. They both made it to the other side without issue, which was a shock to the system. Harry didn''t think it was possible, but so far, things have been going relatively well.


    It was only a matter of time until the other shoe dropped. Hopefully it would be one in Harry''s size.


    The duo walked across the wood, reaching the rusty vent. Harry turned back to look at the spider, but was unable to find it. That is not the kind of shoe he wanted.


    "Um, Six?"


    "Hm?"


    "You wouldn''t have happened to see where our friendly neighborhood spider went, did you?" he asked, looking all around for the oversized arachnid. Six looked back, knowing exactly what spider he was talking about, having seen it for herself. But like her friend, she too was unable to find it.


    "Let''s get this vent open," she urged. Harry couldn''t agree more. Setting his flashlight down, the two of them attempted to open the vent. However, much to their annoyance, it was rusted shut. Not surprising, but still annoying.


    The worst part was the horrible, and not to mention loud, grinding noise it made whenever it budged even the slightest bit. At this rate, the Lighthouse Keeper would make another appearance, and that was the last thing they wanted.


    With little choice but to press on, the two of them pulled even harder against the vent. They yanked back as one, hoping to jar it loose from its rusted prison. It was slow work, agonizingly so, but they were making progress.


    When they were about halfway there, a familiar sound echoed through the room.


    *Thump*


    *Thump*


    *Thump*


    Their worst fears were being realized. He was coming, and though they weren''t completely exposed, having one of those monsters actively looking for them was always a nerve wracking experience. All it would take is one screw up, an you were dead.


    But what was worse, was the other sound Harry could hear coming from the darkness behind them. It was a sort of scuttling noise, like several feet running around in perfect harmony. He had a sinking suspicion about who, or more specifically, what it was that was mucking about behind them.


    Six and Harry shared a look, before they returned to the task at hand, redoubling their efforts. However, no matter how hard they seemed to pull, the vent refused to move another inch. They had managed to get it about of the way there and then it just¡­ stopped.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    *Thump*


    *Thump*


    *Thump*


    But he didn''t. The steps of the Lighthouse Keeper were getting ever closer, as was the thing behind them. They needed to do something, but what? Their only means of escape was being obnoxiously stubborn.


    Thinking as fast as he could, Harry suddenly had an idea. Magic. Maybe he could use his power to rip the vent open. He was already exhausted, and this would only make him more so, but if they didn''t do something, either the Resident would get them, or the spider would.


    "Six, I have an idea," he muttered through clenched teeth as they continued to pull. She glanced over at him, small beads of sweat dripping down her face.


    "Is that right? I hope it''s a good one," she forced out through her own struggle. Just like Harry she could hear the thumping and the scuttling and she did not like it one bit. They were far too vulnerable where they were. The light might not get them, but they had no real way of avoiding the spider that Harry likely angered by shining the light on it. If it attacked them while the Lighthouse Keeper was searching for them, they would be in serious trouble.


    "Good? I don''t know about that. But I''m not sure what else we can do," Harry said. The vent still refused to budge, so his idea was looking like it might be the only one. His words, however, made Six realize exactly what his plan was.


    "You want to use your magic, don''t you?" she asked, already knowing the answer.


    "If you have a better idea, I''m all ears," he said. It''s not that he was particularly opposed to using his power. Far from it in fact. It''s just that it left him feeling so tired afterward that it left him vulnerable. Not exactly a favorable condition, but the tradeoff was usually worth it.


    "...fine. Just try not to overdo it," she warned, or more like threatened. Harry gave her a roguish smile. "Me, overdo it? Perish the thought."


    Six rolled her eyes, but still had one of her own small smiles on her face. The two of them stopped yanking on the vent, seeing as there was no point. They took a moment to catch their breath, well aware of the continuous thumping growing ever closer.


    "Alright, while I try and get this thing open, mind keeping our eight legged friend away?" Harry asked, handing her the flashlight. Six nodded, before turning around, aiming the beam of light across the area. She did manage to find the spider, climbing around on the roof towards them, making it squeal and jump towards the shadows.


    It was a good thing that so many of these creatures appeared to be photophobic. Makes scaring them away pretty easy. The only real problem is that the shadows often equated to safety, as the Residents would often lose them in the darkness. But with things like the spider or the moth, it took away an avenue of security, and Six did not like that.


    Not one little bit.


    As Six was playing peek-a-boo with the spider, Harry was concentrating on the well of power within him. Once he found it, he grabbed hold and forced it to the surface. He aimed his hands at the vent, guiding the magical energy towards it, grabbing hold of the rusted metal. Once it had a firm grasp, he began to pull.


    *Squeeeeek*


    The metal groaned in violent protest, the noise causing both of them to flinch. It was just so loud and grating that it took all of their willpower not to cover their ears. But that wasn''t the only noise that would haunt them. The sound of the door below also creaked open, letting them know that they had a familiar, unwanted guest.


    Hearing this, Harry put more effort into opening the vent. His arms trembled from the exertion of holding the magic for as long as he was. Normally he just gathered it and released it in a burst, but here he had to sustain it, making the struggle that much more difficult. It was like the door all over again, though not quite as exhausting. He was just more tired going into it is all.


    Six, who heard the door below them open, stared down at the lower level, watching as the massive form of the Lighthouse Keeper staggered his way inside, looking around the room once more. Seeing this, Six had no choice but to turn off her own light, in fear of him realizing where they were. The sound of the vent opening would likely alert him to just that, but there was no reason to make it even easier on him.


    Which was exactly what the spider wanted. Seeing as its most hated nemesis was gone, it clacked its chelicerae in excitement. If it could capture those two confounded creatures who had somehow learned to harness the wretched power of light, it would have enough food for a month. Now was its chance. So with an eager gleam in all eight of its beady, black eyes, it raced towards them, drool and venom dripping from its fangs.


    It was at this point that Harry managed to force the vent open, making the loudest noise so far. This, of course, caught the attention of the beast below, who immediately shone the light towards the rafters.


    However, far from being the threat that it normally was, this action would in fact save both Harry and Six. They were safely, relatively speaking, hidden by the wooden beam they were on, so the light couldn''t reach them. The spider, eager for its next meals, was not so safely obstructed.


    It jumped from another beam towards its prey, numerous legs extended and large, obsidian fangs jittery with excitement, ready to pierce into their supple flesh, causing Six to flinch back.


    However, just as she was about to try wacking it with the flashlight, another light hit it first. Once it did, the spider immediately began turning into stone. It gave one last desperate screech before it was completely petrified, its now heavier stone body making it fall short of its intended victims, striking the wood below the pair, shattering and falling towards the ground.


    The Lighthouse Keeper watched this, staring at the remains on the floor. It looked back up towards the ceiling, but upon seeing nothing, gave a satisfied nod, believing it had killed whatever was making that horrible racket. He slowly meandered out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.


    Six and Harry gave sighs of relief when they heard this. They leaned against each other, back to back, letting their bodies relax and releasing the pent up stress from the situation.


    "Well, that was lucky," Harry said. He was extremely fatigued after what just happened, taking comfort in the warmth provided to him by the girl behind him. Sweat had gathered on his forehead, making the already chilly atmosphere feel that much colder.


    "That''s putting it mildly," Six remarked, staring at the spot where the spider nearly killed them. Luck had always played a pretty heavy part in her survival, and it frustrated her to no end. She hated having to rely on something so fickle as luck.


    It did not make for the best companion. Aiding her one moment and hindering her the next. She preferred her allies to be more reliable than that. Like the person leaning against her. For all his clumsiness, he had proven himself so far. Though it has only been a day since they met, he''s already shown how capable he could be through the absurd amount of danger they''ve been in.


    Hang on, he wasn''t a trouble magnet, was he? Ever since meeting him, it''s basically been one harrowing experience after another, with very few breaks in between. Could it be because of him?


    Just as soon as those thoughts arose in her mind she banished them. Bad things happened constantly here. Just because they''ve been a bit more frequent as of late, did not mean it was his fault. After all, he''s the reason she has hope that they could make it out of this mansion in the first place. Thinking of that, she idly fiddled with the eye key in her pocket.


    "How are you feeling?" she asked, feeling as much as hearing him sigh.


    "Tired. I wouldn''t mind having a few minutes to get some strength back," he said. That was perfectly fine as far as she was concerned. Her near death had her rattled a bit, and she could use a little break to calm her own nerves as well, even if they just took one less than five minutes ago.


    "How about you? Are you doing alright?" Harry asked, making Six smile softly behind him, the back of her head gently meeting his own. She felt her left hand, the one not playing with the key, sneak around and grab hold of his own.


    "I''m alright. But I wouldn''t mind a few minutes either."


    So that''s what they did. They sat there, in the dim, gloomy light, listening to the raging storm outside. Another small moment of peace, one worth more than all the gold in the world. But eventually, peace must be cast aside in the name of progress. As nice as it was to take a breather, they couldn''t stay there forever.


    It was time to move on.


    "Well, I think that''s enough rest. How about you?" Six asked, turning her head slightly to address her companion. Harry groaned in response, leaning back harder against her. "Do we have to?" he whined.


    Six rolled her eyes as she released her friend''s hand, standing up and stretching her body out. With the sudden loss of his backrest, Harry tumbled backwards, landing with a slight, "Oomph."


    Red eyes peered down at him with merriment, as Harry blew a strand of hair out of his face, giving his friend an irritated glare. "You could have warned me you know," he complained, as Six held out her hand to help him up.


    "I said it was time to go," she replied, as he grabbed hold of her hand. She pulled him to his feet, Harry dusting himself off with a huff. Once he was done brushing off the dirt, both real and imagined, he picked up his flashlight and flicked it on, pointing it at the vent he just opened.


    "So, where do you think this goes?" he asked, kneeling down to peer into the dark abyss. The vents may have been safer, relatively speaking, to be in, but why did they have to look so creepy? Harry felt as if he would never come out if he entered.


    Like the outside cover, the whole structure seemed to be rusty. Dark, brown blotches of scratchy metal lined every inch of it, looking like it had chicken pox or something. Harry didn''t think it was possible for a metal vent to catch a disease, but you never know in this place.


    He should probably be more worried about the diseases he could get from the thing. He remembered something about avoiding rusty metal so he wouldn''t get¡­ tetris was it? He wasn''t sure, he just knew that he did not get the shot that would prevent it.


    Unlike Dudley, who bawled the whole time and had to be bribed with a present to go through with it.


    "Hmm, probably to the fourth floor. We did climb pretty high," she said, also staring into the vent. They couldn''t see the end of it, meaning it was a pretty long one, likely wrapping around the building until they made it to the next room.


    She just hoped it didn''t dump them outside into the storm.


    "That makes sense. Only one way to find out, I guess," Harry responded. At the very least this vent wasn''t covered in nasty, black goop, so that was something.


    He then started to enter, only to be stopped by Six. "Want me to take the lead?" she asked. To her, it made sense. She had the better eyes and more experience, so she should be the one out in front. But it seemed like Harry was going through his stubborn phase.


    "Not this time. I was nice and comfy before you interrupted my rest and relaxation, so you''ll just have to stare at my butt this time," he said. Six raised an eyebrow at this, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards.


    "Is that what you do when you''re behind me? Stare at my butt?"


    Harry opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out of his mouth. He walked right into that one. With a red face, he turned around and started into the vent. "Come one, no time to waste! Busy, busy, busy."


    Six snickered a bit before following along, most definitely not looking at his butt.


    The path they were on was warped, an unsurprising discovery. At some points it sloped upwards, others downwards, and sometimes it decided it wanted to have a zig-zag pattern to it. Not only that, but the vent itself was also not uniform in size, as they had to crawl on their bellies at one point, the walls having shrunk down.


    There were also numerous parts of the vent that the rust had eaten away, leaving large, gaping holes as hazards they needed to avoid. Harry was starting to miss the goop, honestly. At least that vent had been relatively straight and wasn''t nearly so fraught with danger.


    Eventually, the path ended, and Harry could see a vent cover in the distance. Hopefully, this one wasn''t rusted shut. He didn''t think he had it in him to use his magic again right now. Between the monster that ruined their sleep, the vision of the past, the door that tried to trap Six inside, avoiding the Security Eyes, and the vent behind him, he was pretty much spent.


    But as he shone the light on it, hoping to see a nice and shiny silver hunk of metal, he could swear he saw something scurry away from it. He wasn''t sure, but it looked like a bug of some kind.


    As long as it wasn''t another giant spider, he''d count it as a win.


    The pair reached the end, and Harry started to push against the cover. It squealed as the metal ground against metal, thankfully not as loudly as the previous one. It took a bit of effort, but Harry managed to force it open all by himself. Once it did though, he did find himself stumbling forward at the sudden loss of resistance.


    "You ok?" Six whispered from behind him. They were in a new, unknown area, and she didn''t want to risk being heard by anything that might be around. Though, it might be a moot point, given the noise the vent cover just made.


    "Yeah I''m-oh god what''s that smell?" he responded. Without the vent, a potent, decaying aroma smacked him in the face. It smelled like old, rotten food mixed in with expired milk, with a dash of maggot infested roadkill.


    Six herself was relatively unbothered by the aroma. Sure it was unpleasant, but it was far from the worst scent that''s ever invaded her nose.


    That was reserved for the dollmaking room. She shivered just thinking about that nightmare. The smell was actually the most pleasant part of that room.


    Getting back on all fours, Harry retreated further back into the vent, not only to try and get away from the smell, which was impossible, unfortunately, but also to be certain that nothing was coming for them.


    After about a minute without the familiar thumping of The Lighthouse Keeper or anything trying to kill them from within the room itself, Harry made his way out of the vent. Reluctantly, due to the stench.


    There was a slight drop, and he found himself standing on something wooden, likely a shelf of some kind. It was sturdy, at the very least, and Harry didn''t fear falling through. With his perch secured, he finally turned his light toward the room, eager to see where they ended up.


    The room itself was completely dark, no light at all besides his own. Shining it around the room, he could fairly easily discern where they ended up. It was a room he was intimately familiar with, though not this one specifically.


    A kitchen.


    The realization made his stomach grumble in joy. He wasn''t sure if they would find anything edible in here, but it was worth a look. A boy can dream, can''t he?


    As he continued to survey the kitchen, Six climbed out of the vent and joined him. She watched as he looked around the room, taking everything in. The kitchen was fairly spacious, especially given that they were in a lighthouse. But then again, the architecture has never made much sense, with rooms having dimensions to them they had no business having.


    There was an island in the middle, one that was surprisingly clean. At least, clean for The Nowhere. It would definitely receive a health code violation or two anywhere else. Above it, dangling on hooks, were pots and pans of various sizes.


    On the other side of the room were cupboards, covered in grease and filth. Not surprising. There was also a stove, with a pot sitting on top of it. He couldn''t tell from here, but it looked like there was something being cooked inside of it.


    That might explain the smell.


    To the left was a sink, one filled with plates stacked so high they nearly reached the ceiling. He knew the Lighthouse Keeper was tall, but come on! That''s just beyond lazy. Just wash them and put them away already!


    In the corner to their left was a fridge, which gave Harry hope for some fresh food. Maybe he could cook Six a meal this time? To thank her for the bubblegum flavored bird from last night.


    The final thing he noticed was the door to the room, nested in the center of the wall on the right. Good to know where the monstrous Resident will enter from if they make too much noise.


    However, there was one strange thing about the room that Harry couldn''t place his finger on. There was a noise, one he didn''t recognize. He turned to ask Six if she knew what it was, only to find her staring intently at the ground.


    "Hairy, point the light down there," she said. With a nervous gulp, Harry did just that. But as soon as the light hit the ground, the whole floor seemed to move in a panic. And that''s when Harry realized what the sound was.


    Bugs. Thousands upon thousands of bugs, scurrying about on the floor in a frenzy. They looked like cockroaches, which meant they would be impossible to kill.


    Or would they¡­


    As they fled from the light, he could see a coating of dust on the floor, one that looked awfully similar to the dust found beneath the shattered remains of stone children. If he had to guess, that was The Lighthouse Keeper''s doing. That''s one way to get rid of pests. Too bad it made such an awful mess afterwards.


    Harry removed the light from the floor, watching as the bugs quickly raced to occupy the space. "So, now wha-Six?" he asked, turning to look at her, only to see a concerned look on her face. And if she was concerned about something, then so was Harry.


    "What is it?" he asked.


    "Why aren''t they coming up here?"


    "What?"


    "The bugs. Why aren''t they coming up here? They should be crawling all over everything, so why are they staying on the floor?"


    That was a good question, and Harry suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. There was only one reason he could think of that would keep them from doing so.


    Fear.


    The only question is, what are they afraid of?

 Let There be Light!

    A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the dark and dreary kitchen as Harry and Six tried to figure out just where they were supposed to go. The first thought they had was the door itself, but getting to it was a whole problem in and of itself, as the thousands of noisy bugs reminded him.


    If only there was some way to get rid of them. They knew they were afraid of the light, but that didn''t help them much as they only had a single flashlight, and Six doubted her lighter would do anything to scare them away. It was handy in a pinch, but it really didn''t provide much light.


    Thinking about that did give Six an idea though. Looking up, she noticed a light fixture, one that was frustratingly dark. If they could just get that on, then maybe the bugs would run away. It was worth a shot.


    "Hairy, point the light there," she requested. Harry turned to see where she was indicating and shone his light on the ceiling. Now that she could see it better, she frowned at all the filth covering it. Hopefully that wouldn''t hinder the light enough that the creepy crawlies remained.


    "We need to find some way to turn that on. It should help us with our bug problem," Six said, making Harry nod in agreement. And even if it didn''t, Harry would not say no to a little more light.


    "Right, so now we just need to find a switch or something," Harry mumbled, already searching the room for just that. He didn''t remember seeing one while inspecting the room earlier, but perhaps he just missed it? Wouldn''t be the first time he failed to recognize something important.


    He first walked over the leftmost edge of the cabinet they were on and started his search there. He was hoping that the switch, or whatever it was they needed to find would conveniently be right next to them. However, as his light illuminated the area below him, all he was met with was disappointment.


    "Of course, can''t have things too easy now, can we?" he grumbled, making Six''s mouth give a little uptick. He really should have known better. Things are never that simple here in the Nowhere.


    With a despondent sigh, he began searching the rest of the room, starting from the left, he slowly scoured the walls. But besides the normal dirt and grim, he didn''t see anything that looked remotely like a switch. He passed the sink with all the dishes, passed the countertops and the stove with the pot on it, but there was nothing. It wasn''t until his light made its way to the rightmost wall, the one with the door on it, that he finally noticed something.


    "There, is that it?" he asked, turning to look at Six. Her ruby red eyes had been following along the trail of Harry''s flashlight, hoping to spot the thing they needed. They narrowed in frustration when they landed on what Harry was pointing at; a large switch against the far wall near the corner.


    That was not what she was hoping for. There was no possible way to make it to the switch without them traveling along the floor, which was covered in bugs. They were the main reason she wanted to turn the lights on in the first place. Not only that, it looked like it was too high up for them to reach without boosting each other up or finding something to stand on.


    "Looks like it," she mumbled, almost absent mindedly, already looking for a way to reach it.


    "Great, now how are we supposed to get there?" Harry grumbled, when another flash of lighting lit up the room for a brief second. But that second was more than enough for Six to spot something that may prove useful.


    "I think I see something. Let me see that," Six said, grabbing the flashlight. But rather than take it from him, she just redirected its focus, placing her hand over his and none too gently pointing it to where she thought she saw¡­


    Yes, a chair! It was nestled in the far right corner, barely visible from this angle, but she was able to see it. Like the light, it wasn''t in the most ideal location, but at least she knew where it was. After that, it all came down to planning and execution.


    "So what are we supposed to do with that?" Harry asked, not understanding why Six was so happy to have found it. Sure they could use it to reach the switch, but that didn''t solve the infestation problem.


    "Hmm, let me think," Six said, moving his arm with the flashlight around the room, much to his amusement. He would have gladly given it to her if she had simply asked, but he didn''t exactly mind the warmth of her hand either.


    "I think I have an idea¡­" Six said after a while. Harry expected her face to be more enthused about it, but the frown she wore suggested he wasn''t going to like this plan.


    "You don''t look too excited about it," he mentioned, getting Six to release her hold on him. She sighed, running her hand through her tousled locks.


    "I''m not, but I don''t see another way forward. One of us is going to have to go down there and move the chair while the other follows along with the flashlight to keep the bugs at bay," she said. Harry was right, he didn''t like that plan.


    "That''s way too dangerous. We don''t even know if these things will attack us. Who knows, maybe they''re friendly," he suggested, but his tone spoke volumes about his real thoughts on the matter. Six merely raised an eyebrow at him, her entire expression screamed, "Really?"


    "Ok, the chances of that are slim, but still! There has to be a better way," Harry said. His eyes traveled down to the moving floor below, flinching at the sounds they made. Like wet rubber squeaking against itself.


    "I know it''s not exactly ideal, but if you have a better idea, I''m all ears," she suggested, crossing her arms over her chest. Honestly if he did have a better plan, she would gladly go for it. Just because she suggested one of her own didn''t mean she was keen on it. She just didn''t see another way forward.


    Harry looked around the room, hoping to have some kind of epiphany that would reveal the secrets of the world and make it so neither one of them had to traverse the almost certainly deadly floor. But after about a minute of searching, nothing came to mind. He didn''t even see anything he could use his magic on that would help, not that he was in any position to use his magic in the first place. He still hasn''t recovered from the previous room.


    "Alright, alright, we''ll go with your plan. How do we start?" he asked, sounding defeated. Six gave him a pat on the head, making him glare at her. But she just smirked in return before turning to look at the dark room before them.


    "Ok, first we need to find a way to get to the middle island. It looks too far to jump, so we need to get to the chair and drag it over here first. That way we can use it as a stepping stone," Six said, getting a nod from Harry.


    "After that, we''ll have to drag the chair to the other aisle so we can get to the far countertop. From there, it should be a simple matter to drag the chair over to the light and flip it on. Hopefully it works," she muttered. Not like it would be the first time if it didn''t.


    The plan itself was rather simple, Harry had to admit, but that didn''t mean it was easy. One wrong move from either of them could spell the death of the one on the ground.


    "Alright, that''s about as good as it can be, I guess. So the only question left is, which one of us is moving the chair, and which one of us is pointing the light?" he asked, green eyes meeting red.


    "I''ll go for the chair. You''re too tired so it''s safer if I go," Six stated, her tone brokering no argument. As much as Harry wanted to, he couldn''t. She was right, he was very tired. But still, the thought of her going down there amongst all those scurrying insects made his stomach twist into knots. The image of them swarming her and ripping apart her flesh while he watched, unable to do anything but listen to her screams was almost too much to bear.


    Just like with Rose.


    "Are you sure? I mean, I can-" he started to say, but Six cut him off by reaching out and giving his hand a squeeze. Harry let out a breath he didn''t even know he was holding, his shoulders sagging as tension fled from his body.


    "It has to be me, and you know it. I''ll be fine, I trust you to keep me in the light," she said, her eyes firm yet gentle. Harry stared at her for a moment, searching for something he wasn''t even sure of. Assurance, maybe? As if that was some sort of guarantee.


    After a minute, Harry shook his head, a rueful smile on his face. "Alright Six, you win. I''ll stay back and make sure none of those little buggers gets anywhere near you," he said, a feeling of resolution worming its way up from within.


    "You better," Six said with a stern glare, making Harry chuckle. With that settled, the two of them prepared for their next life threatening stunt. Harry moved to the far side of the cabinet while Six began her climb down.


    The cabinet itself was filled mostly with plates and dishware, so she had to be extra careful not to knock any over. Not only to prevent making any noise, which was basically her M.O, but she also didn''t fancy slicing open her feet on the broken shards.


    Harry was shining the light down onto the ground, scattering hundreds of bugs, their frightened and painful chittering the only indication they were ever there. Six would have looked down to make sure they really were gone, but she trusted Harry.


    And wasn''t that a strange notion. Her trusting someone so completely as to put her very life in their hands. If someone had told her that just a few days ago she would have thought them insane. And yet, here she was, ready to drop down onto the ground with what was certainly a horde of flesh-eating insects.


    Life sure was funny sometimes. But mostly it was horrifying.


    Six halted her movement as a large, white, porcelain plate rattled as she gripped it. She carefully continued her way down, taking special note not to rattle any more. Once she was nearly to the ground, she casually dropped the last little bit.


    She landed on the sandy floor, kicking up a small cloud of dust. She let out a small cough, waving her hand in front of her face to get rid of the remaining particles. Once that was done, she turned around, watching with curiosity and a hint of fear at the bugs surrounding her, the only thing between her and a grizzly death was a flashlight.


    They were far more disturbing up close. Their exoskeletons were glossy black and spiny, with long legs covered with painful looking barbs. But it was their mouths that were the most disturbing, looking almost like a pair of serrated, end cutting pliers. She did not want to be caught on the wrong end of those.


    She looked back up, and saw Harry giving her a comforting, if shaky smile. He was just as nervous as she was, which surprisingly made her feel more at ease. You''d think it would be the opposite, but no. Knowing he was that worried, over her safety, only encouraged her more.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    So she squared up her shoulders and prepared to make her way through the endless swarm. She carefully took a single step, Harry following her with a razor sharp focus. The bugs squealed as the light hit them, frantically trampling each other to get away.


    This is how they moved forward, with Six taking slow, cautious steps towards the chair, making sure she never veered close enough to the bugs to be in danger, with Harry closely following along with the light. A few of the more eager, or hungry, bugs made daring leaps towards her into the light, and Six felt herself snort thinking about Harry calling them friendly. Thankfully, they retreated before taking a bite out of her.


    It took a few minutes, which seemed to stretch on for hours, but eventually she reached her destination. The chair was made of old, rough wood, making Six sigh. Looks like there was a sliver in her future.


    She grabbed the chair by the legs, right underneath the seat, giving her ample leverage. Taking a deep breath, she began to pull, wincing at the loud noise. That was the opposite of what she wanted to hear. It wasn''t nearly as bad as the cage from the floor below but it still made her hackles rise.


    Hopefully a certain someone wouldn''t hear it.


    Harry kept his hands as steady as he could as Six slowly dragged the large piece of furniture towards the closest aisle. He did his best to ignore the sweat that coated his palms, unwilling to wipe them off in fear he would shake the flashlight and move the protective circle that kept his friend safe.


    As she neared the cabinet and made to pass it, Harry was forced to also move for the first time. He made sure to take slow, even steps so he could keep the light where he wanted it. Before long, she had successfully pulled it to where she wanted it, more or less, which was right in the middle of the aisle.


    Once that was done, she sighed in relief before hopping up onto the chair and then onto the island, heart beating a mile a minute. She turned back towards Harry, who was also sagging in relief.


    Now they just had to do it two more times, no biggie.


    "Alright, now you need to come over here," Six said, getting a firm nod from Harry. He made his way to the leftmost edge again before hopping down onto the countertop. It wasn''t a steep drop, thankfully, and he landed safely with a dull thud.


    Except¡­


    "Ew¡­" he groused, feeling something slimy sticking to his feet. He looked around for something to wipe them off with, but of course, the only thing he could find was a cloth so dirty he was sure that if he used it to wipe off his feet, he''d only be making them dirtier. So he just scraped them against a slightly cleaner spot on the counter.


    Six watched this with mild amusement. He was really going to have to get used to stepping in gross things. She didn''t particularly like it either, but she didn''t make a big deal out of it like he did.


    Once Harry got his feet about as clean as he could, he made his way towards the edge of the counter, carefully avoiding any more muck. Looking down, he frowned at the bugs swarming around the chair legs. Thankfully they didn''t seem to be climbing it, which was a relief. Now he just had to make a couple of jumps and not fall into the squirming mass of death.


    It kind of reminded him of the castle with The Leecher, and all the writhing worms in the moat. At least this wasn''t as far of a drop, but it was still just as unpleasant.


    Stepping away from the ledge, Harry gathered his courage, preparing to make the leap. It wasn''t like it was very far, but he had proven to be somewhat¡­ clumsy. Normally Six would find that entertaining, much to his frustration, but she certainly didn''t want to see him die because of it.


    Or at all really.


    The green eyed boy took a small run up to the ledge before leaping onto the chair. Thankfully he didn''t slip and fall, merely wobbled a bit, using the back of the chair to steady himself.


    Exhaling, Harry righted himself, giving Six a cocky grin, making her roll her eyes at him. Though she did have a slight grin on her face. After that, he made the leap onto the center island, with Six helping him up.


    "That wasn''t so bad," Harry said, slightly out of breath. The jump wasn''t hard, but the fear of failure and the following rush of adrenaline made the effort far more exhausting.


    "Good job. Ready for the next round?" Six asked, making him groan. It was safe to say he was not ready, but they couldn''t just sit there either. There was still the worry of some kind of apex predator in the room, one that instilled an instinctual fear into the mass of bugs below.


    It was far better for them to get a move on.


    "Not really, but let''s do it anyway," he said. Six patted his shoulder in a conciliatory manner before moving past him, ready to jump back down into the hornet''s nest.


    "Hang on, let me make sure I have a clear path up here," he said, getting Six to stop. She turned around, watching as Harry went around the edge of the island, making sure nothing would get in his way of providing the light they needed. He ended up moving a couple of pots/pans out of the way, and Six was glad for the foresight.


    Once that was done she jumped down onto the chair, Harry''s light scaring off all of her would be assassins. She then hopped onto the floor, watching the creatures warily. Just because she did it once did not mean she wasn''t worried about the nasty little things.


    She then started to push the chair back the way she came, as it was the shortest path around the island. She shivered at hearing the constant chattering around her, almost as if they were talking.


    "Hungry."


    "Food."


    "Kill."


    "Eat."


    That''s what she imagined they were saying, over and over again on repeat, like it was some kind of religious chant. She didn''t actually hear any voices, thankfully, as that would be a whole other mess of problems, but her imagination was frustratingly vivid at times.


    As she made it out of the aisle she maneuvered herself around the chair so she could start dragging it. She still winced at the sound of the wooden legs scraping against the floor, wanting to get this over with and return to precious silence.


    Harry above her did his job, not once letting her out of the circle of light. It wasn''t easy, especially when the blighters leapt at her, as all he wanted to do was shine the light directly on them when it happened. But he didn''t, knowing that if he faltered or altered the course, that was it. Six would die, and it would be all his fault.


    So he didn''t, and she made slow, but relatively safe progress around the island, until at last, she had placed the chair right between the island and the far countertop. She quickly jumped up onto the chair and again onto the counter, not wanting to be on the floor any longer than she had to. Not that Harry could blame her.


    Once that was done, Harry followed suit, making it across the dangerous gap with relative ease. It reminded him of the games some kids would play, where they pretended the floor was lava.


    Far better than hungry bugs, in his opinion.


    All that remained was the light switch. The pair of them took a minute to gather their strength. Neither one wanted to mess up due to exhaustion when a few minutes of rest might very well save their lives. As strong as Six was, moving a large chair across the room wasn''t a walk in the park. Harry felt a bit bad that he couldn''t do more to help, but even if he wasn''t tired from magic use, having Six do it was probably still for the best.


    His arms were basically noodles after all.


    After recovering for a bit, the two of them continued. They were in the home stretch now, just a few more feet and they would finally be done with this, and Six, for one, couldn''t be happier.


    But just because she was more than a little eager for this to be over with that didn''t mean she would rush things. Slow and steady, more often than not, kept you alive. Sure there were times when speed was more important than stealth, like when they were climbing up the chain, but this was not one of those times.


    At least, it wasn''t supposed to be. As irritating as it was, Six would have been content to take things as slowly as she needed to get the job done without placing herself in excessive danger. One could argue she already was, but that was more semantics than anything else.


    But when the light that was keeping her safe started to flicker, she knew the slow and steady route was about to be tossed out the window. Why did things always seem to go wrong in the eleventh hour? Was it just the Nowhere plotting against them, seeking entertainment, or was their luck really that bad?


    Harry, who had seen the light blinking in and out, felt his whole body go cold. Six was close to the switch, but not close enough to make the jump with certainty. And now, if she didn''t get a move on, she wouldn''t be.


    "Six, hurry!" he shouted, uncaring for the loudness in his voice. There were more important things to worry about, like his friend getting devoured by hungry cockroaches.


    Not needing to be told twice, or even once really, Six began pushing the chair with all her might. Harry did his best to keep her within the shimmering light, but that was somewhat a moot point at this juncture.


    The bugs, as if sensing the weakness in their prey, started chittering excitedly, nearly drowning out the raging storm outside with their laughter. Every flicker of the light saw them rush towards Six, only to screech angrily when it turned back on.


    For the two of them, the time it took her to get within range seemed like an eternity, when in reality it was only a few seconds. Without her taking cautious steps, it didn''t take any time at all.


    She had wanted to bring the chair all the way to the wall, not wanting to risk her failing the jump, no matter how unlikely that was, or having the switch not work at all. Such a thing would almost certainly mean her death. But now, it seems like she didn''t have a choice.


    As the light blinked for the last time, Six stopped pushing, leaping onto the chair, barely avoiding the ravenous creatures lunging after her. She swore she felt one brush against her bare foot, but paid it no mind, her entire focus now on getting to the switch and hopefully turning on the lights.


    But there was just one little problem¡­ She couldn''t see it anymore. The entire room was now cast in darkness. She looked down, trying to spot the hungry little beasts, but as good as her eyes were, even she couldn''t see them.


    "Six, are you ok?" Harry called out, nervous that he couldn''t see her anymore. He smacked the flashlight, trying to get it to turn back on, but his efforts proved fruitless. He should have figured, as that never worked when his uncle or cousin did so when the telly went out.


    "I''m fine, but I can''t see the switch," she called back, making Harry sag in relief. But her words made him realize their newest dilemma. If she couldn''t see the switch, there was no way to safely jump to it.


    "Maybe I can find some batteries," he said.


    "In the dark?" she asked back. She was right, of course. The chances of him stumbling over some batteries he could use was slim to none. He was more likely to fall off the countertop and get eaten, and that was the last thing he wanted.


    "Yeah¡­ yeah, you''re right. What are we supposed to do then?" he asked. Six wondered the same thing. It was good that the bugs didn''t seem to want to climb the chair, but there was no guarantee that would last forever. Hunger, being the powerful motivator it was, had a way of overcoming fear. She needed a solution, and fast.


    The lightning? Maybe. It did light up the room pretty well, but they were sporadic at best, no way to time when another strike would come. She didn''t want to rely on something so unreliable.


    Could her lighter provide enough light? Only one way to find out. Reaching into her pocket, Six pulled out the dented little thing. Even now she was surprised to find something like this. Not a lighter, per say, but one that was small enough for her to use.


    She flicked the ignition wheel, relief filling her as the soft glow of the tiny flame drove back the shadows threatening to strangle her. It wasn''t the brightest light, but even something as small as it could help guide her along the way.


    Looking towards the switch, she could just barely make it out. That would have to be enough. She placed the lighter on the ground, which thankfully kept producing light without her need to have a finger on it.


    Harry watched this, a nervous reassurance filling him at the sight of the flame. Humans were naturally fearful of the dark, or more accurately, the unknown it represented, the danger that lurked within. But light brought knowledge, and knowledge was the best tool to fight fear.


    That, or a gun. Guns worked too. But seeing as they didn''t have one of those, knowledge would have to suffice.


    "Six, can you see the switch?" Harry asked, as she placed the light on the seat. He himself couldn''t really make it out. He might be able to see it, but then again, he might not. It was clear that Six pushing the chair was absolutely the right call.


    "Yeah, just barely though," she said, staring at it.


    "Can you make it?" he then asked.


    "Easy," she said back, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. The switch itself wasn''t too far away, but with it barely visible through the gloom, she wasn''t as assured of her success as she would normally be.


    "Ok, just¡­ be careful," he called back, making Six roll her eyes. How was she supposed to be careful? She would either make the jump, or she would fall to her death, there wasn''t enough time for caution. But still, she couldn''t stop the small smile from blossoming on her face.


    Six took a step back, until she could feel the edge of the chair seat with her heel. It wasn''t much of a running start, but it was better than nothing. Taking a deep breath, she ran, springing off the chair and soaring through the air while small monsters cried out in hunger, leaping at her with clacking, drooling mandibles.


    But none of them could reach her.


    Thankfully, she didn''t have the same problem as them, grabbing onto the switch and gripping it tight. For a second, nothing happened, the switch stubbornly remaining in place. But after a few seconds, it finally gave in.


    The lights immediately came on, much to Six and Harry''s relief. But they were the only ones. The cockroach-like creatures screamed in pain and panic, stampeding in every direction looking for somewhere to hide from the light.


    It was kind of enjoyable to watch, a feeling of satisfaction entering both of them from their victory. More often than not, it was them running away in a panic, but not this time. This time, they were the monsters, and it felt good.

 A Home Cooked Meal

    Six sat atop the dirty middle island, watching as her friend jumped onto the now safe ground. Once they had frightened the tens of thousand of insects into hiding, they began their search for the exit, which didn''t take long for Six to find.


    Her gaze shifted to the far wall, or more specifically, the dumbwaiter that was their way out of the kitchen. She had, at first, wanted to take it immediately and get out of there, not wanting to push their already strained luck. But Harry thought it would be a good idea to see if they could find anything edible. She tried to argue against it, but her stomach loudly agreed with the green eyed boy.


    The traitor.


    Harry gave her a smug grin at hearing her stomach betray her. It made any argument she could have made irrelevant. So she reluctantly agreed to search for some food. Harry''s face lit up at that, promising to make her something delicious. Six doubted he would be able to accomplish that goal, given that most food able to be scrounged up was less than fresh. But who was she to dampen such high spirits?


    Besides, if he did manage it, all the better. She certainly wouldn''t turn down real food.


    So she watched from her perch as he began his search for food. Shockingly enough, it didn''t take him long to find some. All he had to do was open the fridge. Well, that''s not entirely true as there was copious amounts of rotten cuisine stuffed inside.


    Which did not help the foul smell in the room, not one little bit.


    She had an idle thought, wondering if the Residents could survive off of it. Considering the amount of spoiled fare, the only conclusion she could reach is that they not only could survive off of it, but it was their preferred meal.


    Besides children that is.


    Harry, whose face twisted into a fierce scowl at seeing the state of the fridge, started digging through the spoiled remains. She shivered at the sight, wondering how he could stomach such an action.


    Harry had seen much worse at the Dursleys. Watching his uncle and cousin forgo silverware to use their hands as fleshy shovels to gorge themselves desensitized him to food related traumas.


    But as someone who was systematically starved over the years, despoiled of proper nutrition, the sight of food going to waste infuriated him. Such a thing never happened at the Dursleys, though food had very little shelf life there. He was pretty sure his aunt had to make daily trips to the market just to feed them. It made him wonder at how they could afford it.


    His efforts were rewarded, as behind the gunk and slimy remains of food, sat a carton of eggs. His eyes lit up when he saw it. Not only that, but he was able to find a bit of cheese that was mostly bereft of mold as well. He just needed to cut away the blue, fluffy parts and voila!


    With this, he could make some omelets. He''d prefer it if there was some milk he could add to the eggs, but given the chunky nature of the milk he did find, not to mention its greenish, yellow color, he decided he could do without.


    He did, however, manage to find something even better. Namely, some salt and pepper, the quintessential spices for all food. Nothing better. Of course, Harry was never able to experiment with many spices while slaving away in the Dursleys kitchen, given their hatred of foreign food, but he at least knew how to use what he had.


    Alright, he had his eggs, his cheese, salt and pepper, and even a bit of butter. All his ingredients were gathered. Now he just needed to mix them all up into a bowl. This is where the real challenge started.


    Finding a bowl proved to be more of a challenge than he thought. He could have used a pot, but unfortunately, they were well out of reach. All except for the one resting on the stovetop. But the less said about what''s in it, the better.


    So he continued his search, eventually finding a bowl he just might be able to use. However, its placement left much to be desired.


    It was resting on top of the towering pile of dishes, almost mocking him. But Harry was never one to shy away from a challenge, especially when he had a hungry friend counting on him. He pondered the problem of how to reach it while Six simply watched on, content to let him do his thing.


    It was some prime entertainment after all, and she had the best seat in the house.


    After about a minute of rumination, he had an idea. First, he would empty the sink to the right of the tower, which had little in the way of contents. Then, he would fill it up with water, so he could throw the bowl into it, preventing it from breaking.


    Hopefully. It would probably be better if he filled it with something soft, like towels, but there wasn''t enough he could find, and he refused to open the cabinets to look for more, knowing that the insects had likely retreated inside.


    Best not to open that particular can of flesh eating worms.


    So Harry set about his task, brimming with determination. It didn''t take him long to empty the sink and plug it up, but he was in for a surprise when he turned on the faucet. The water that came out was so filthy it could barely even be called water. It shouldn''t have surprised him, but it did.


    It took a few minutes for the sink to fill up completely and in that time, the water didn''t clear up one tiny iota. Actually, Harry was pretty sure it had gotten worse. Good thing he didn''t intend on using any for cooking.


    It made him wonder why all the dishes were even in the sink. There was no way they could get clean with water so dirty. Just one more thing that didn''t make any sense and another question to lock behind the vault with the others.


    Once the sink was full, Harry began his arduous climb to the top of dish mountain. He had a small bit of fun imagining he was climbing Mount Everest, battling against tempestuous winds and blistering cold. It made the otherwise mundane climb just a bit more fun.


    Thankfully he reached the top with little trouble. The tower wobbled a bit, but nothing that was intrinsically dangerous. Disconcerting, for sure, but not life threatening.


    Now at the peak, Harry carefully aimed the bowl, which was about half as big as he was, towards the sink. He slowly pushed the ceramic container off the top plate, watching with bated breath as it fell, plunging into the lukewarm depths below.


    Relieved at not hearing a heart wrenching shattering, he carefully climbed back down the mountain. The journey was long, and fraught with many dangers, but he succeeded.


    Once back on solid ground, much to his relief, he stared into the dirty, swampy looking water, faced with yet another bothersome issue. That being, draining the sink. Something he hadn''t thought of until now.


    "Everything ok?" Six asked, idly kicking her feet back and forth as she watched him.


    "Yep, all good! No issues here," Harry called back. He then refocused his attention on the sink, returning its taunting stare with a glare of his own. He wouldn''t let something like this stymie him for long, he just needed to think.


    He could just jump into the sink and remove the plug, but getting his new clothes wet and dirty was just about the last thing he wanted. He could strip naked and dive on in, but he didn''t feel much better about that option either.


    So that means he needed to find something to either grab the plug or the bowl itself. Taking a quick look around, he spotted a certain object that would be perfect for the job.


    Or at least, he hoped so.


    It was none other than the common ladle, good for soups and stews the world over. However, he didn''t want it for the basin that it was normally used for. Instead, he wanted that nice, curved handle. That should help him grab onto the plug. Luckily, this particular piece of kitchen equipment wasn''t out of reach, merely dangling off of a rack on the far counter.


    So he carefully maneuvered his way over, making sure he didn''t fall. Dropping the bowl into the sink had created a new slippery hazard from the splash, so he had to be extra careful. Six already thought him clumsy, he felt no need to reinforce her of that particular belief.


    Fortunately, he made the journey without incident. He grabbed the ladle, which was bigger than he was, placing it over his right shoulder to make it easier to carry. Then he began to backtrack.


    Once he arrived at the sink, he removed the ladle from his shoulder and spun it around, using the curved handle to try and grab onto the plug. However, it proved to be a most elusive prey for something that didn''t move. But unfortunately for it, Harry was a patient hunter. Though it took some time, he was able to snag the little, round, metal ring resting on top of the rubber plug.


    Once he felt some resistance, a big grin split his face. This was it, now all he had to do was pull! Wrapping his arms firmly around the spoon portion of the ladle, he did just that, yanking the plug clear out of its home.


    The water immediately began to drain, making a disgruntled gurgling sound as it traveled down the pipe. Harry kept hold of the ladle, and therefore the plug, not wanting to risk it sinking back into the hole.


    It didn''t take long for the sink to completely empty, leaving only a single, intact bowl in its wake. Seeing this made Harry grin as he set aside the ladle and hopped into the wet sink.


    He grabbed the much too large bowl, struggling a bit with its weight, before managing to set it onto the counter. He took a step back at that, wiping the sweat from his brow with a satisfied sigh.


    His clothes were a little damp and the bowl a little dirty, but he felt satisfied at completing his goal. Cooking sure was hard when everything was so much bigger than him. But at the same time, it made him feel all the more accomplished to finish a task, even one as mundane as getting a bowl.


    Climbing out of the sink, he moved the bowl onto its side so he could push it like a wheel. Given the uneven nature of it, he had to be careful that it didn''t tip over and crash onto the floor. He wasn''t sure if it would be enough to alert the Lighthouse Keeper, but he didn''t want to take the risk.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    He also just didn''t want all his hard work to be in vain.


    Thankfully, there weren''t too many obstacles to maneuver around, so the trip was relatively easy. Once there, he set the bowl down properly, right next to the ingredients. With that, all he had left to do was mix everything together.


    Grabbing one of the eggs he pilfered from the fridge, he tried to crack it on the bowl, like he would ordinarily. But it was pretty clear that was the wrong choice, as the egg refused to crack, even a little. Better than it breaking and covering him in yoke, but still frustrating.


    Placing the egg down, which almost came to his waist, he once more pondered his predicament. It didn''t long before an idea popped into his head. If he couldn''t break it by slamming it into something, he would just have to slam something into it.


    Looking around, he managed to find what he was looking for, a butter knife. He cringed slightly at the little bits of hardened food stuck to the blade. Hopefully it wouldn''t come off as he smacked the egg with it.


    Placing the egg on a dirty, bundled up washcloth so it wouldn''t roll around, he raised the knife above his head before bringing it down, the dull edge slamming into the hard shell, splitting it open. The knife was stuck a good third of the way through, which was just about perfect.


    Setting the knife aside, he carefully picked up the egg, making sure not to spill any of its inner contents, and placed it inside the bowl. Once there, all he had to do was split the egg in half and remove all the shell pieces. Easy.


    Or not.


    Grunting, Harry bent over the bowl, grabbing each side of the cracked egg, trying to yank the two halves apart. But it was proving to be more difficult than he expected. Guess that''s what happens when trying to open an egg that''s half your size.


    It took a good amount of elbow grease, and his face was red from the exertion, but he managed to do it. The egg split apart, the suddenness of it nearly sending Harry into the bowl himself.


    With that done, he grabbed the large chunks of shell before tossing them aside. He then made sure there weren''t any smaller pieces of shell left over. No one likes crunchy eggs after all.


    With that done, all he had to do now was repeat the process with the second egg. He did try to split the egg a bit more this time, and while that made some of its contents spill out, it was much easier to remove the shell completely this way.


    Once both of the eggs were safely nestled in the bowl, he grabbed a whisk, which was on the same rack as the ladle, and got to work. It was difficult, given the size, but not impossible.


    Once it was mixed a bit, he set the whisk down and grabbed the salt and pepper. The containers weren''t very big, thankfully, and they were only about half full, so picking them up wasn''t that much of a problem.


    Getting the right amount into the bowl, however, was a different beast entirely. He probably added a bit too much salt, but that was fine. Slightly salty food was the least of their problems.


    Grabbing the whisk he stirred the eggs one more time, making sure everything was as evenly dispersed as it could be. Even with only four ingredients, it was still important.


    After that, he grated the cheese. He didn''t exactly have a cheese grater handy, but he did have a bread knife. It wasn''t exactly easy to get through, but he managed, somehow, cutting off a couple of slices before chopping them into even smaller pieces. Hopefully they would melt properly.


    Once that was done, it was time to start the stovetop. Something he probably should have done at the start to make sure it worked. He would be very upset if he went through all that trouble only for the stove to be broken. But considering there was a pot of unholy gruel sitting on top of the upper right burner, he should be fine.


    To his relief, he was. He turned the knob for the bottom top heater on, setting it to medium low, getting a nice little flame going for his efforts. Now he just needed the pan and he was good to go. Unfortunately, that was on the middle island, which meant he had to climb down off of this counter, climb up the other one, and make the trip back.


    Being so small was a serious pain in the butt.


    "Need some help?" Six asked nonchalantly as he climbed up the drawers onto the island. He was slightly out of breath, which didn''t surprise her all that much given all the work that went into preparing the meal.


    "No, I''m good. You just sit back and relax," Harry said, making his way over to the pans. Six shrugged and continued to enjoy her rest. He found one that was appropriately sized, i.e. one that he could carry, and started the journey back.


    It was far more trying than it should have been, as Harry wanted to be quiet to not alert any potential creatures that wanted to eat them. There was still this looming fear of something else living in the room, something that kept the bugs on the floor. But so far, they haven''t seen any evidence of such a monster.


    That didn''t mean it wasn''t there, it just meant it was good at concealing itself. A very concerning trait for a predator to have. At least, for the prey that is.


    Once Harry was back on the counter, he carefully placed the pan onto the burner. As the metal began to heat up, Harry placed a glob of butter inside, one that was bigger than his torso, making sure nothing would stick to it.


    He did not want to think about what so much butter would do to their arteries.


    He grabbed a wooden spoon and used it to cover the entire pan with the melting butter. Once that was done, all that was left was to add the eggs to the pan. Which is where he encountered another snafu.


    It was too big. Sure he could lift the thing, but pouring the mixture into the pan was another story. He could probably use the ladle to add the egg a bit at a time, but even then he risked spilling it.


    That left him only one option.


    "Um, Six? Can I get a little help?" he asked. With an exaggerated sigh, Six hopped off the island and climbed up onto the other counter. The two of them then worked together to lift the heavy bowl and pour its contents into the pan. It sizzled as it came into contact with the hot metal.


    "Thanks," Harry said, moving to watch the eggs cook. Six stepped beside him, watching the sizzling eggs with interest. She couldn''t remember the last time she ate something that was properly cooked and seasoned, if she ever had. Usually it was just leftover scraps or something roasted over a fire.


    Her stomach gave another loud rumble, eager to taste proper food. However, seeing the eggs cooking in the pan, Six turned to Harry with a questioning look.


    "Couldn''t you have mixed the eggs in the pan instead of the bowl?" she asked. Her question made Harry freeze, before slowly turning to face his curious companion. His eyes met hers as his brain slowly interpreted her words.


    "...No," he stated, but his tone was anything but certain. Six raised an eyebrow at that.


    "Why not?" she continued to probe, even as Harry went back to cooking the eggs.


    "Because it''s¡­ not proper. Eggs must be prepared properly," he said, running the wooden spoon through the slowly solidifying eggs. He wanted to make an omelet, but that seemed like too tall of an order given the circumstances, opting for scrambled eggs instead.


    "What''s improper about it?" she asked, enjoying egging him on.


    "You don''t mix things in a cooking pan," Harry said.


    "Why?" she pestered.


    "Because you don''t. It''s just¡­ you''re messing with me, aren''t you?" he asked, giving her a deadpan stare as he noticed the corners of her mouth twitch. Six tried to appear innocent, but the amusement he could see dancing in her listless eyes revealed the truth.


    "Me? I would never," she said, but Harry wasn''t buying it.


    "Somehow, I don''t believe you. Why don''t you go sit down and wait until I''m done?" he asked, shooing her away. Six gave a small chuckle as she sauntered away, sitting on the edge of the countertop.


    Harry sighed as she left, but the smile on his face showed that he was anything but upset by her teasing. If he was being honest, it would have been easier to just mix everything in the pan, he just didn''t think about it. And he was far too stubborn to admit his mistake.


    He had a feeling if he ever got the chance to cook something like eggs again, he would be in for a large amount of teasing, because he would probably mix it in the pan.


    Back to the cooking, once the eggs were about halfway cooked, he chucked the cheese into it. He hoped it would be enough time to properly melt, but he wasn''t sure. Oh well, nothing he could do about it now.


    The minutes ticked by with the sound of Harry cooking being the only thing to break the monotony. Six was actually getting pretty excited for the meal, the smell driving away the putrid odor that lingered in the room, almost hypnotizing her with its scent.


    Eventually, it was done. Harry pulled the pan off of the burner, placing it on the one below it. He wiped the sweat from his brow, a satisfied grin on his face. The eggs had a nice, golden sheen to them, cooked to perfection. Or close enough. Harry was also happy to note that the cheese had melted just fine.


    Seeing he was done, Six stood up and made her way over to him. Looking down at the freshly made scrambled eggs, she was very thankful that Harry convinced her they should stay for some food.


    "Looks good," she stated simply.


    "Thanks. Want to grab a plate?" he asked, getting a nod in return. Six made her way towards the sink, finding a pure white plate with little to no food caked onto it. What little there was she rubbed off, satisfied with its relative cleanliness.


    You couldn''t ask for much more than that in the Nowhere. Heck, this was practically a luxury.


    Once she brought it over, Harry scooped up the eggs with the large wooden spoon, carefully placing it on the plate. It took him a few times to get everything, but once he did, there was a nice pile of golden eggs steaming on the plate, just waiting to be eaten.


    "And that''s that. Breakfast is served," Harry said. Six was practically drooling at the sight, not that she would admit it. She was, after all, the calm and collected one.


    Unfortunately, there wasn''t any silverware in their size, so they were forced to wait until the eggs cooled enough for them to touch. Neither of them were particularly eager to use their bare hands, but it was a small price to pay.


    Getting food was far more important than proper dining etiquette.


    Staring at the cooling food made Harry realize something important. They didn''t have anything to drink! Come to think of it, they haven''t had much to drink at all, making Harry''s mouth feel suddenly parched.


    "Hang on, be right back," Harry said, much to Six''s confusion.


    "Where are you going?" she asked, watching as he jumped onto the floor.


    "You''ll see!" he called back, racing towards the fridge. Opening it, he began to look for something.


    "Come on, come on. I know I saw it in here somewhere¡­ aha!" he thought. With a grin, he reached into the vile refrigerator, pulling out a can of soda. Literally, the can had SODA written on it. He had no idea what flavor it was, but with it being completely sealed, it should at least be safe to drink.


    Unlike the water.


    Six watched as her friend waddled back, carrying a large can with him, realizing he was bringing them something to drink. She helped him get it onto the counter, which was more of a struggle than she would have liked.


    "Tada¡­" he wheezed out, making her snicker at him. She gave his messy head a pat, which he was too tired to swat her hand away. Decidingto let him rest now for a bit, Six brought the can towards the pan before popping it open and pouring some of the contents into it.


    "What are you doing?" Harry asked, befuddled.


    "It''s too heavy to drink from properly, so I''m lightening it a bit," she responded, making him nod in understanding. There was more than enough for the two of them inside. Once she poured out about half, give or take, she brought the can back to where their food waited.


    Food that was now cool enough for them to eat.


    "Well, shall we?" he asked. Six nodded, and the two sat side by side. Harry reached out first, grabbing a small bit in his hand before tentatively taking a bite. He chewed it slowly, savoring the taste.


    "So, how is it?" Six asked, letting him be the guinea pig. Not that it mattered much. Besides it being poisonous, not much else would keep her from eating it.


    "Not bad. I definitely added too much salt though," he commented, reaching for another handful. Needing no other incentive, Six grabbed some of her own and took a bite.


    Harry, who was watching, secretly wanting to hear her opinion, started to panic at her reaction.


    "Six, what''s wrong!?" he asked as tears traveled down her face.


    "Huh?" she asked, not knowing what he was talking about.


    "You''re crying," he informed her, quietly.


    "Crying?" she thought, confused. She raised her hand to her face, surprised to feel a wetness there. Removing her hand, she was almost mesmerized by the sight.


    But even with the proof right in front of her, she couldn''t figure out the reason for it. What could have made her cry? She wasn''t hurt beyond a few aches and pains, so that couldn''t be it.


    She wasn''t sad, or at least she didn''t think she was. If anything, she was happy. For the first time in she didn''t know how long, she was eating a proper meal. Normally, eating was a chore, necessary for survival. She didn''t exactly look forward to eating a rat, or bugs, moldy bread, or whatever barely edible scraps she could find.


    So having real food was cause for joy, wasn''t it? So why was she crying?


    "Hairy, why? I don''t¡­ I don''t understand¡­" she said, frantically trying to wipe away the tears that refused to stop falling.


    Hearing his friend sound so confused and afraid broke his heart. Acting on instinct, because he wasn''t sure what to do, he wrapped his arms around the sobbing girl.


    Six, under normal circumstances, would be highly hesitant to engage in such intimacy. But right now she was desperate for the touch of another human being, clutching tightly onto Harry as she wept.


    Food forgotten, at least for the moment, Harry held onto the distraught girl as she let out all her emotions, broken from the simple act of eating a home cooked meal for the first time in her life.


    And he would continue to do so, for as long as it took.

 Top of the Food Chain

    Six sighed with content as she finished her meal. It was far better than anything she could remember having, if she''s even ever had anything that good. At the very least, no one had ever prepared something that nice, not even her old friend.


    Her eyes traveled to her new friend, watching as he upturned the large can of soda to take a drink. She chuckled a bit, watching as a large splash of the unfizzy drink coated him with its sticky liquid, him spluttering in surprise.


    After wiping the offending substance from his body, he turned to see Six staring at him with amusement in her eyes. He let out an embarrassed cough, straightening out his clothes to try and maintain some form of dignity.


    It didn''t really work.


    He then made his way back over towards her before sitting down with a small grunt. He patted his overly stuffed belly with content. It was nice to not feel like a starving rat for once.


    Six could appreciate the sentiment, her own stomach pleasantly plump from the meal. Looking over at the plate, she saw that it was only half consumed, at best. Harry seriously overestimated how much they could fit inside them.


    But seeing the pile of food made her think of her little¡­ episode earlier. Harry, bless his heart, didn''t mention her breakdown even once, for which she was extremely grateful. Crying over a meal was silly, or at least she felt that way.


    But Harry seemed to understand her emotions to some degree, likely attributed to his own, half-starved state. Which is why he probably didn''t bring it up. She doubted he wanted to talk about his own problems and trauma, so he was more than willing to give her the space she needed, opting to simply be there should she need him again.


    She didn''t, thankfully, but the sentiment was appreciated all the same.


    "So, what''s the plan now?" Harry asked, letting out a little burp. Six crinkled her nose at the sound but didn''t say anything. She knew boys like Harry lacked proper manners so she didn''t hold it against him. Especially not in the Nowhere. Manners were a luxury few could afford.


    "With the power back on, we should be able to take the dumbwaiter to the next floor up," she said, pointing to the crevice in the wall containing the object. Harry gave it a look, nodding his head. However a thought crossed his mind, making him frown.


    "Isn''t that a little¡­ dangerous? We don''t know what''s on the other side," he said. As much as he would enjoy a nice elevator ride to the floor above, it would be a short lived joy if the Lighthouse Keeper was waiting for them when they arrived.


    "That''s true. We could always leave the room and take the stairs, but that has its own risks as well. There''s no place to hide if we take that route," she said.


    "Not safe no matter what we do, huh?" he questioned, a little sardonically. If the Lighthouse Keeper was in the room above them, then taking the dumbwaiter would almost certainly be the wrong choice. But if he decided to go for a morning stroll, that would be just as bad. It all depended on him.


    Thinking about what to do, an idle thought made its way into his brain. But before he could run it by his companion, a peculiar sound distracted him. And he wasn''t the only one, as Six''s head snapped towards the noise, eyes narrowing with unease.


    She slowly stood up, with Harry following her lead. They stared at the cupboard, the one in the corner of the room, as what sounded like scratching came from inside of it.


    A lot of scratching.


    "What is that?" Harry whispered, a note of fear entering his voice. His mind wandered back to the cockroaches, or whatever they were, and how they were afraid to climb onto the counters.


    Were they about to find out what made them so afraid?


    "Shh," Six whispered back, somewhat harshly. She didn''t mean to come off as so abrasive, but she couldn''t risk whatever was making that noise hearing them. Not only that, but she was hoping that she could recognize the creature by the sounds it was generating.


    No such luck.


    It didn''t sound like it was just one thing, but dozens, maybe even hundreds of things all moving about inside the cabinet. She could see a hole, and a fairly big one too, on the bottom of the cupboard, and curse realizing that''s where it, or they, entered and exited from.


    She didn''t think much of the hole at first, given the general state of disrepair in the Nest as well as the other dilapidations she could see in this kitchen alone. But it seems like that was a mistake. Those holes represented the creature''s own nest.


    It was a foolish blunder, and if they survived, it was one she would be sure to remember.


    She could see the shadow of movement coming from the hole. Whatever it was, it had a long body. Could it be a snake? Possibly, but judging by the scratching, she didn''t think so. It almost sounded like claws digging into the wood, and last she checked, snakes don''t have claws.


    At least, they didn''t in the real world, but here, in the Nowhere, disseminating fact from fiction became almost impossible. The line between what was real and what is imagined became blurred, and the two often seemed to overlap, creating a dream.


    Or a nightmare.


    So for all she knew, it could be a snake, just one with feet and claws. Oh, and it probably breathed fire too, because why not?


    Shaking her head clear of the aggravation she felt at the Nowhere''s nonsensical rules, she saw that whatever that thing really is was about to make its debut. In other words¡­


    "We need to hide. Now!" she said, grabbing Harry''s hand and dragging him towards the ledge. Not one to argue with Six, especially when she was like this, Harry kept pace as best he could.


    As much as he liked having a full belly, it made running for your life rather uncomfortable. He really hoped he didn''t end up expelling it from his stomach again. Throwing up was the last thing he wanted to do.


    Well, second to last, anyway. Dying was firmly stuck in last place.


    The two hopped off the counter, hitting the ground hard. But the slight pain in their joints was the least of their concerns, barely worth acknowledging. What was far more important was getting out of sight.


    They continued to flee until they were behind the island. They steadied their breathing, making as little noise as they could, concealing their presence. When that thing came out of its hole, neither one wanted to be spotted by it.


    It didn''t take long, not even a minute before the monster departed its home in search of food. But whatever Six had been expecting to see, that was not it.


    The first thing she spotted was its head, which was a bright orange color. It had a massive eye that took up nearly every inch of space on its forehead, with two large and seemingly prehensile antennae on either side of it. The pupil of said eye, not the eye itself, darted around with a jittery, almost manic energy. It was unnerving, to say the least.


    Probably both.


    But as disturbing as watching the pupil move around the eye was, it didn''t compare to its mouth. It had two large and deadly looking pincers on either side of its mouth, clacking almost lazily as more and more of its body became exposed. Six had a pretty good idea of what they would do to anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves trapped between them.


    It wasn''t pretty.


    But it was the organ between those mandibles that was most unnerving. All around its mouth were tentacles of some kind, with what looked like sticky strands of hair attached to them. If Six had to guess, it used that to catch and hold its prey so it could eat at its leisure.


    And with it having so many, she had no problem believing it could easily pluck the roaches from earlier and stick them right down its own gullet. No wonder they were so afraid of it.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Its body was black and segmented, with circular patterns covering its entire carapace. Each segment also contained a pair of sickly yellow legs which ended in sharp points. If one of those were to catch them, they would be skewered.


    At least the scratching made sense now.


    Finally, it had two large, serrated back legs trailing behind it. They constantly moved, looking like they wanted nothing more to snatch something up and tear it in two.


    Six did not want to be that thing.


    Once the entire beast was revealed, it was easy to tell exactly what it was, a centipede. Or a monstrous, heavily armored version of one, at any rate. Either way, neither of the kids were a fan of seeing it.


    Especially Harry. He had more than one bad encounter with centipedes in the past while working on his aunt''s rose garden. They seemed to love to bite him, and the Dursleys loved to see him get bit.


    The venom always made him feel sick, but was he shown any compassion by his so-called relatives? Nope. They would just send him out to do more, no matter how sick he got. However, if he dared throw up in her roses¡­


    So yeah, Harry did not like those little buggers. Or not so little in this case. He did not want to find out what that thing''s venom would do to him.


    Neither of them said a word, simply watching the monstrous arthropod scuttle around, raising its massive head to stare at the light curiously. Or angrily, it was hard to tell. But if it was normally used to the darkness, then Harry suspected the latter.


    It made a hissing sound of displeasure, clacking its mandibles with frustration but did little else. It then turned its gaze away from the light on the ceiling, continuing to inspect the room, looking for its usual source of food when it suddenly stopped. It made a motion like it was sniffing the air, which was weird because it didn''t have a nose.


    Like it was caught in a trance it slowly faced the plate with what remained of the eggs, its antennae making twitching motions. It reminded Harry of one of those old cartoons, where someone would leave a pie on a windowsill and the aroma would lift them up and carry them towards the delicacy.


    The centipede''s lone eye stared at the plate of fluffy, golden sustenance with wonder. Six half expected to see drool dripping from the horror show it called a mouth.


    Was his food really that good? Sure it brought her to tears but to entrance a monster like that¡­ a skill like that could prove to be very useful. Yet even so, Six felt hesitant to share his cooking with monsters.


    But only because they didn''t deserve it.


    They watched the creature extend its long, wriggling tentacles from its mouth, gently inspecting the food left on the plate. It must have liked what it¡­ felt? Six wasn''t sure what to call what it was doing, but either way, it approved.


    Lifting the food from the plate, it causally shoved a small bit into its mouth. It then started to chew, wet, gurgling noises coming from it and neither one wanted to think about what its teeth were like.


    It then stopped, and for a second, they thought it might have disapproved of the taste. Or if they were very lucky, killed it. But of course, they weren''t lucky. The monster wasn''t dead, not in the least. In fact, it suddenly seemed more alive than ever.


    Its tentacles raced out, gripping onto more of the scrumptious morsels, gorging itself. Harry was more than a bit shocked to see how much it enjoyed his simple scrambled eggs.


    Perhaps he had a future as a chef? Maybe on a luxury cruise liner, that way he could also see the world. Food for thought.


    Unaware of her companion''s new culinary aspirations, Six saw this as a golden opportunity to escape. At the rate the monster was going, it wouldn''t take too long to finish its meal, so this might have been their only chance to get out of there.


    She turned to face him and pointed to the dumbwaiter. Harry followed her finger, but frowned. He knew what she was trying to say, but if the Lighthouse Keeper was above them, then they would become art exhibits.


    Not the fate he imagined for himself.


    Thinking back, he remembered the idea he had, the one he wasn''t able to share with Six. He wanted to suggest they try and lure the Keeper somewhere else, possibly by shunting a pan off the ledge outside to the bottom of the lighthouse.


    But now, that wouldn''t be possible. Not with a 5 foot long killer bug on the loose. But maybe, instead of luring him away, they could lure him into this room, and pit the monsters against each other.


    It sounded like a good idea to him, and one he''d like to bounce off of Six. He knew they didn''t have much time, so he had to be quick.


    Shaking his head no at her suggestion, Six raised a pointed eyebrow at him. He knew she was saying he better have a good explanation for this. Keeping one eye on the happily munching monster, Harry quietly explained his idea.


    "The Lighthouse Keeper might be up there so what if we lure him away?" he suggested, getting a contemplative look from the girl. The idea certainly had merit.


    "How do you suggest we do that?" Six asked back. Harry nodded, knowing this question would come up. So he pointed to one of the large, metal pans dangling from the racks above the island and then pointed to the leaning tower of plates in the sink.


    Her eyes widened at that. It would certainly qualify as a distraction, that''s for sure, but why would he want to lure the Resident in here? She thought it over for a moment, her mind quickly running through various scenarios until she reached the most likely conclusion.


    He wanted to pit monster against monster. If they could draw the lumbering Lighthouse Keeper here, he might be able to kill the centipede with his lantern. That would ensure this floor''s safety so long as the light''s were on. It would also let them know exactly where the Resident was, meaning they wouldn''t be in for a nasty surprise by taking the dumbwaiter.


    There was also the possibility, however slim, of the centipede killing the Lighthouse Keeper. But seeing as the latter was higher up in the hierarchy of the Nowhere, that was an unlikely scenario.


    In a perfect world, they would kill each other. Now wouldn''t that be something? But she doubted either one of them had enough luck left for that miracle to come to fruition.


    All this crossed her mind in the blink of an eye, and she found she liked the idea. Make the monsters battle each other for survival for once. No matter the outcome, they benefited. It was almost poetic.


    Six gave him a firm nod, eyes alight with devilish delight. It would likely perturb most people, but Harry thought it made her look cute. Like an eager puppy. There was just one hiccup to his plan.


    "How?" she asked, indicating the pan. Harry nodded, giving her a smug grin as he whispered back.


    "Magic."


    She rolled her eyes at his theatrics but nodded nonetheless. If he thought he could do it, Six would trust in his abilities. He seemed to have mostly recovered from his earlier fatigue as well.


    So, without further delay, they set about their new plan. Six kept a careful eye on the beast, in case it made any sudden moves. But it seemed far too engrossed by its meal to care.


    She gave him a thumb''s up, and he nodded, reaching out towards one of the pans. Concentrating on the power within him, he called it forth, sending it towards the pan. He imagined the magic taking the shape of a large hand gripping onto the pan, gently lifting it off the hook.


    That seemed to do the trick, and Harry could even swear he saw a small displacement of air around the handle. But that wasn''t important right now. He needed to concentrate on the task at hand.


    Six watched this happen, her eyes going back and forth between the floating pan and the centipede. So far, so good. She wondered why he didn''t just use his magic to topple the plates and resolved herself to ask him later.


    As the pan moved away from the rack, Harry prepared to banish it into the tower. Taking a deep breath, he imagined the hand throwing the pan as hard as it could. The metal cookware raced towards the tower of plates, hitting it squarely towards the bottom so it could topple.


    It hit with a loud crash, shattering the plates on contact. The centipede, hearing this, quickly swiveled around, the circles on its body lighting up. The three of them watched as the plates fell to the ground, creating a loud bang that would surely be heard throughout the lighthouse.


    Not even the storm raging outside was able to dampen the sound.


    The centipede cautiously made its way towards the sound, the now bright circles on its body blinking rapidly. Six thought it was likely a warning of some kind, a way to frighten any possible predators. But as someone who was thoroughly centered in the prey category at the moment, Six didn''t feel very threatened by the display.


    It was actually somewhat pretty. But she would prefer it if her light show didn''t come with a giant, man-eating monster.


    As the centipede moved away, the dynamic duo quietly made their way towards the dumbwaiter, moving around the corner of the island. They moved to the other side and risked taking a peek. The centipede seemed thoroughly distracted at the moment, staring curiously at the plates as it gradually stopped making light.


    Seeing that the coast was clear, they continued towards their goal. Harry did have a close call when the back legs nearly came into contact with him, but he was just able to squeeze under them before he could be discovered and torn to shreds.


    It did take a few years off his life though.


    The two of them safely made it to the cavity leading to salvation. Or at least preferably somewhere without a hungry monster waiting to eat them. But considering everything was a hungry monster waiting to eat them, the chances of that were slim.


    But one could hope.


    Thankfully it was low enough that they could just jump into it from the floor, because there was no way they would be able to move the chair over there. Not without being seen and heard, at the very least.


    Six jumped up first, easily pulling herself into the dumbwaiter. But just as Harry was about to do the same, they heard a familiar sound.


    *Thump*


    *Thump*


    *Thump*


    It looks like their plan was a success. The lighthouse Keeper had successfully been lured towards them. Unfortunately, they weren''t the only ones who heard the noise. The centipede did as well, turning towards the door to see what was making that racket.


    And wouldn''t you know it, Harry just so happened to be caught in its gaze.


    "Oh, crud¡­" he mumbled, as the thing hissed angrily. Or maybe it was happy, Harry didn''t know. He didn''t speak centipede. He may have spoked to a snake once or twice, but even if the thing in front of him was long and serpentine, that did not a snake make.


    "Quick, jump!" Six yelled. Not needing to be told twice, Harry did as he was told. Six grabbed his hand and dragged him up as fast as she could. As soon as he was inside, she slammed the door down and they began to rise. She heard the monster slam into the metal, screeching with rage as it tried to force its way in.


    Hopefully, the Lighthouse Keeper arrived before that happened. Six never thought she''d be happy to have a Resident show up, but here she is. What a weird world.


    "That was close," Harry said, Six humming in agreement. He was a bit tired from the magic act earlier, but nothing too bad. Not nearly as much from ripping off the vent cover at any rate.


    "So, what do you think we should call that thing? I''m thinking, Cyclopede. You know, because it''s a centipede with one eye," he said, sitting up. Six gave him an odd look as the two traveled upwards, heading into parts unknown.


    Hopefully the next room would be a little easier to navigate.

 Not so Comfy Quarters

    The air surrounding Harry and Six was tense as they slowly ascended into the unknown. Every shake and rattle of the dumbwaiter only caused more and more anticipation to build within them.


    Six felt her stomach drop as the dumbwaiter slowed down. Looks like their ride was almost over. In just a few short seconds, they would find out just where this thing led them.


    As they finally came to a stop, the duo simply stood there for a moment, listening. But there was nothing. No sound save for the raging tempest outside. That was typically a good thing. Silence signified that there was nothing trying to kill them.


    Or it meant they were being hunted by something that knew the value of stealth. That was a far more rare occurrence than you might think, given the nature of the creatures that inhabited this twisted world. Even the spider from earlier could be heard as it darted across the rafters.


    But just because it was rare, doesn''t mean it was impossible. If there was something with such propensity awaiting them outside the confines of the dumbwaiter, Six would not be caught unawares.


    She looked over at her companion, even if she couldn''t see more than a shadowy outline in the dark. There was only the smallest hint of light coming through a small crack at the bottom of the dumbwaiter, but even so, she could still make out the frown on that dark blot she knew as Hairy.


    Seeing this, Six reached out her hand, briefly hesitating before grabbing hold of his own. Harry jumped, slightly startled by the sudden contact. He looked down at his hand, not quite understanding what he was feeling. But once he did, he shifted his gaze over towards the red eyed girl, a puzzled look on his face.


    "Six?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.


    "You looked nervous," she said, as if that explained everything. And while it didn''t, not by a long shot, it was enough to settle the boy''s nerves. He squeezed her hand back, a feeling of gratitude welling up inside him.


    "Thanks."


    "No problem."


    The two stood there for several more seconds, enjoying the comfort brought on by the other. But all good things must come to an end. They couldn''t risk the Lighthouse Keeper moving, not when they struggled to lure him away. An even more terrifying thought was him activating the dumbwaiter for whatever reason with them still in it.


    They had to move before that happened. Six refused to let their efforts be in vain.


    "Ready?" she asked. His hand squeezed hers once more, a sign of reassurance, before letting go.


    "As I''ll ever be," he said. Six nodded and knelt down ready to slide open the door. Once she did, there would be no going back. They would have to face whatever was on the other side.


    Taking one last deep breath, Six slowly opened the door, light flooding inside the compartment nearly blinding them. It made a slight squeaking noise as she lifted it up and she hoped there was nothing inside that would take notice. With the storm outside, they should be safe, but you never know.


    As the gate rose, revealing more and more of what lie ahead, Harry dropped down to take a peek. It was hard to make out all the details from this angle, but it looked to him like they were in a room of some kind. He could make out a bed, a dresser, some clothes scattered about the place and a large rug with the head of a snarling beast staring at him.


    He managed to stop himself from yelping in surprise at the sight, realizing it wasn''t something about to leap out and devour him. Having been eaten once already, he wasn''t keen to repeat it.


    The important thing was, nothing appeared to want to eat them. At least not yet. He had no idea what was under the bed or in the dresser drawers, but they seemed to be in the clear for now.


    He told Six as much, with her nodding in acknowledgement and sliding the door the rest of the way up, slightly faster than before. Once that was done, the pair was easily able to take in the whole of the room.


    The bed Harry had seen earlier was nestled in the top left corner of the room, but not in the way any normal or sane person would expect. It was jutting out from the corner, with the end of the bed reaching towards the center of the room. Harry couldn''t fathom why anyone would situate it in such a manner. It made no sense and took up more space that was needed.


    He really needed to stop trying to use logic and reason in the Nowhere. It didn''t do him any good.


    Next to the bed on the left hand side was a dresser, one filled with various knick knacks and doodads. Neither of them could make heads or tails of some of them, being what one might call, "abstract art". But what they could make out was disturbing.


    A picture full of pus covered eyes burning in a fire. Puppies with empty eye sockets and a tongue on a snake. Small statuettes of what looked like a Buddha with an enormous mouth bursting out of his stomach, ready to devour anything that came near.


    Harry would be just fine if he never saw anything like that again.


    Speaking of "art", there were several paintings hanging from the walls as well. Some Harry recognized, being copies of the paintings hanging in the halls of the Nest, but others were brand new. Like the skeletal horse eating from a rotting carcass.


    He was really starting to hate their taste in the arts. The red eyed girl next to him agreed, even if he didn''t know it. But unlike her companion, she didn''t show any outward disgust from the image.


    In the top right corner was a large leather recliner covered in mold and holes. It looked like something you''d see in an old, abandoned house. Why anyone or anything would choose to sit on it was a mystery.


    In front of the chair was an old, rough, wooden table. Whoever made it seemed to take the meaning of legs very seriously, as they appeared to be made of some kind of animal''s legs. Harry wasn''t sure what animal had claws like that, and he hoped to never find out.


    Next to the recliner was a bookshelf with more shelves than books. Most of it was bare save for a few curious tomes. Given that neither of them could read the language of the Nowhere, the books hardly interested them.


    Along the wall were more shelves with various things on top of them, such as lantern oil and candles, along with a cymbal banging monkey near the center. Harry wasn''t sure, but he suspected he was a noisy little bugger.


    Directly to his right was a large T.V on top of a wooden stand. Like the chair, it too seemed to be covered in mold, making Harry worry for his respiratory health. He could remember hiding from Dudley and his gang in an old house that was covered in something that looked very similar and how it took weeks for him to be able to breathe right again. Hopefully that wouldn''t be the case this time.


    He could also see a door on the right wall, almost right in the middle but not quite. The off centered eye carved into it seemed to mock him. But Harry decided to be the bigger man and ignore it.


    He would not lose to a door.


    To his left was an open doorway, but he couldn''t see where it went. It took them less than a minute to scan the entire room, and in that time, neither of them could find the one thing they were looking for.


    Namely, a key.


    Six had no proof beyond what experience has taught her, but she suspected the topmost room would be locked. Why wouldn''t it be? Nothing was ever simple in the Nowhere, and she doubted it would start now.


    But she couldn''t see everything from their position, so with one last look around the room, she hopped down, the floorboards creaking slightly beneath her weight. She winced but did little else. It wasn''t nearly loud enough to be heard, especially with the typhoon outside.


    She started walking towards the center of the room, hearing Harry jump down after her. Once she was safely on top of the¡­ bear? She wasn''t sure what creature the rug was made out of, but the fur was rough and coarse, poking painfully into the bottoms of her feet.


    Annoying, but manageable. Anyway, as soon as she was standing atop the mystery beast''s remains, she began to scan the rest of the room from that position. Thankfully this room was well illuminated, so she could easily see everything the room had to offer.


    The doorway she could see from the dumbwaiter led to what appeared to be a bathroom. One that hasn''t been cleaned since it was created. The light wasn''t on in the room, but she could still see the filth covered floors with the light flowing in from this room. The brown stains made her shiver in revulsion just imagining what could have made them.


    Harry came to stand beside her, making little squeaks of pain as he stepped onto the rug. It was like getting stung by bees with every step. But once he was there he did his best to ignore it as he also examined the room.


    But considering how much better Six''s eyes were, perhaps he shouldn''t have bothered. At the very least, his feet would have thanked him. Of course, it wouldn''t be a problem if he could just find some SHOES!


    "So, what are we looking for?" Harry asked, trying not to reveal how much his poor feet hurt.


    "A key, most likely. Either for the door on the second floor or the top," she said, not looking in his direction and scrutinizing every inch of the room she could see. So far, she hasn''t noticed anything promising.


    "Right, you said something about that earlier," he mentioned, returning to his own inspection. Like his companion, he didn''t see anything that resembled a key. After nearly a minute of observation, Six managed to see something on a shelf above the chair.


    Squirting her eyes, she saw it was a safe, of all things. What were the chances the thing they needed would be hidden inside? All things considered, pretty good. Unless it was in the bathroom of course, but she wasn''t quite ready to tackle that room just yet.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Nudging her friend, she pointed out the object in question. His eyes followed her finger, widening when he saw it.


    "A safe? Really? Just great¡­" he mumbled. Looking at it, it seemed to be an electronic one, where they had to input a series of numbers. Which meant they needed to find said numbers. Numbers that could be anywhere.


    "It''s not ideal," Six admitted, feeling some frustration herself. "Do you think you can bring it down with your magic?"


    Harry pondered her question for a moment. He still felt pretty drained, but it should, theoretically be possible, depending on the weight of the safe itself. But if he could, it would help immensely with figuring out the code. Then at least they wouldn''t have to climb all the way up to get it.


    "I''ll try," he said, getting a nod from the stoic girl. He began to feel the magic inside him once again, imagining that ethereal hand reaching out and grabbing hold of the safe. Once he did that, he tried lifting it up, but it refused to budge. Frowning, he tried even harder, yanking as hard as he could, but it felt like it was stuck.


    After trying a couple more times, Harry released his hold on his power.


    "No good," he said, breathing heavily. "Feels like it''s attached to the wall or something."


    Now it was Six''s turn to frown, but it couldn''t be helped. She shouldn''t have gotten her hopes up in the first place. She didn''t blame Harry, far from it in fact. He tried his best, obvious from the way he was panting, and his magic had proven to be incredibly useful.


    It just couldn''t solve all of their problems.


    "Right. Thanks for trying. Guess we''ll just have to do this the old fashioned way," she said. At least they now had a goal in mind, which means they could pursue a path forward.


    That being said, she hasn''t seen anything that even remotely resembled a number in the room. Not the paintings or the small sculptures. Nothing on this horrible rug. Looks like this was going to be even more difficult than she thought.


    Even though she should be frustrated by the notion, a part of her felt excited to solve the riddle of the room. Seeing the gleam in her eyes, Harry could only shake his head. It was the same as the one in the art gallery.


    Well, at least one of them was having fun.


    With that, the two separated, taking different areas of the room to search. Neither knew just how they would get up to the safe, but it would be pointless to do so without the code anyway.


    Six took the side with the dresser and all the creepy art pieces. She pulled out the drawers, taking a moment to sift through the raggedy clothing stuffed inside, hoping to find a note or something.


    But she managed to find a total of zero numbers inside the bottom drawer. Sighing with frustration, she climbed on top and pulled out the second one and jumped, grasping the ledge to haul herself up. Once safely in the drawer, she began to search through this one as well.


    But again, nothing.


    After that dud, she climbed on top of the dresser itself, ready to inspect every one of those horrific objects, no matter how much she didn''t want to. She gazed at the painting with all the eyeballs and held back a shudder. She really hated how they decorated with all the eyes. Made her feel like she was being watched at all times.


    Regardless of her personal feelings, she did what she needed to and examined every inch of the thing. But she couldn''t find anything. Not behind the painting or scribbled into the frame. Not a single clue in any of the 7 eyes staring back at her.


    As for Harry, he was busy staring at the ratty old chair, slightly disturbed by all the mold he swore was moving. It seemed like the chair used to be brown but that was more than a little difficult to discern with all the fungus sprouting from it.


    He thought, perhaps, that one of the numbers they would need could have been written within the mildew. It was certainly thick enough for it. But much to his disappointment, he didn''t find any. The only image he found was a skull.


    And wasn''t that just unsettling. Deciding to simply ignore it as another quirk of the Nowhere, Harry turned his attention to the table. He did have the idle thought to check within the chair cushions, as that''s where Vernon often lost things. His loss was Harry''s gain, and he had been able to buy some ice cream from time to time with all the change he saved up.


    But even knowing that, he decided to save that for a last resort. Harry did not want to touch that thing.


    Checking the incredibly realistic looking legs first, he didn''t spot anything remotely similar to a number. Nothing on the underside of the table either, not even gum. And even when he climbed on top of it he couldn''t find anything.


    Jumping down, he then decided to take a gander at the bookshelf. Walking over to it, pointedly ignoring the creaking of the floor, he looked up at the near empty shelf with his hands on his hips.


    There were several books, none of which he could read of course, as the letters were basically nonsense to his eyes. Grabbing one of them, he casually flicked through the pages. Apparently, this book was on taxidermy. Fantastic. He only knew that from the shockingly detailed diagrams it contained.


    Placing the book back and feeling a little queasy, he repeated this process with the books within reach, making sure not to take a peek at the images within. But after doing this a few times, he decided it was likely a fruitless endeavor.


    Even if they contained numbers, would he even be able to tell? He couldn''t read their language and therefore, wouldn''t be able to tell the difference between a number and a letter.


    That thought made him pause. Would they even be able to tell what a number is? He doubted they would use English in this one instance simply for his and Six''s convenience. So how were they supposed to even find them?


    Match the symbols, perhaps? If they were distinct enough, maybe, but that seemed like a longshot to him. He should probably bring it up with Six, but for now he would keep searching. They needed some kind of code to open the safe regardless.


    Returning the book, he gave the shelf one last look, frowning at some of the spines. Why did they find it necessary to put eyeballs on everything? Harry did not appreciate the feeling of being watched by books, even if there were only 3 of them.


    Deciding he had enough reading for one day, Harry looked around the room, wondering where to check next. Six had apparently finished her inspection of the dresser, having opened and rummaged through each and every drawer. Judging by the look on her face, it seems like she didn''t find anything either.


    Figuring she was fine on her own for now, Harry elected to inspect the T.V stand next. Making his way towards the large, blocky object, he patently ignored the 1 large eye carved into the door observing him go by.


    Arriving at his destination he started to check the front of the stand. Once more seeing nothing, he opened the doors. They squealed loudly in protest, hinges screaming at him in anger.


    Six, who heard this noise, abruptly turned her head towards its source. Seeing as it was only Harry, whose face was twisted into a grimace at the sound, she relaxed the tension in her shoulders. For a second there, she feared the Lighthouse Keeper was coming through the door.


    But it seems they were in the clear, at least for now. She couldn''t hear the telltale sound of the Resident making his way towards them, so she continued with her business. Before checking another location for the code, she made sure to close the drawers. If a certain someone returned and saw them all open, he might get the idea to check the room for intruders.


    That was just about the last thing she wanted. She learned her lesson about that this very morning.


    Once that was done, she felt it prudent to search the large chest that rested at the foot of the bed. It was larger than she was, meaning she had to get creative with how she opened it. It wasn''t locked, thankfully, but that didn''t mean her job was any easier.


    Looking around, there wasn''t much she could use to prop it open with from the floor. But maybe she could pull it open from on top of the bed. Not that she wanted to climb on top of that. It was just as nasty as everything else in this room, and likely hadn''t ever been washed.


    At least in the Nest, the Butler kept things somewhat clean. She knew he did the laundry at the very least, so none of the beds she''s come across looked like this. Although, most of the laundry he did do was to prepare something for the dolls to wear, so maybe she shouldn''t be so grateful after all.


    But needs must. And it''s not like it was the first time she''s been forced to be in contact with something gross. Probably wouldn''t be the last either. So she sucked up her inner revulsion and leapt up.


    "Blankets are not supposed to be this stiff," were her thoughts as she climbed on top of the bed. But she ignored that and focused on her goal. She quickly made her way towards the foot of the bed, the mattress being nearly as stiff as the blanket. The journey was also more hazardous than one might think, given the hidden springs that threatened to skewer her or the holes that promised to devour her.


    But even with those obstacles, she made it rather quickly, not wanting to feel the sensation of the rough and itchy blanket beneath her feet. She''d rather be subjected to the rug once more.


    Once she was there, she grabbed hold of the side of the chest. Or she would have, if another new noise hadn''t distracted her once again. Looking up, she saw a panicked Harry trying to figure out how to turn off the T.V. It would have been amusing if it weren''t so dangerous.


    He wasn''t sure how it happened. One second he was checking the side of the T.V stand for anything, and the next, the T.V was yelling at him. And the song it played¡­


    "Having a nightmare in a boat.


    Come with me, oh no, no, no


    He hung, he hung, he hung, don''t leave me


    No more Bellman upon our sea."


    Harry did his best to tune the rest of it out, especially the part about Veronica, whoever that was, and tried to find the off switch. But the T.V only had one button and he couldn''t reach the plug, so without another viable option, he pressed it.


    But of course, things couldn''t be that simple, could they? Of course not. Instead of turning it off, like any normal T.V, it just changed the channel. Why would someone design a T.V like this?


    And the second channel wasn''t any better. Instead of a woman with a kitchen knife, it was a shadow looming over a sleeping child. "Nope, none of that. Thank you and goodbye," he thought, pressing the button once more.


    Now it showed one of those stand by screens. Only this one was covered in eyes, mocking him. One large one in the center with a smaller one in each corner, making 5 in total.


    Hitting the button again, it finally decided to turn off. Harry let out a sigh of relief, surrounded once more by silence. But the silence reminded him of a crucial fact.


    They were not alone.


    So holding his breath, he stood there, stock still, listening. Six, who had been watching him, did the same. Both waiting with bated breath to see if they had been heard. Several seconds of silence ticked by, which felt like an eternity. When nothing could be heard save for wind, rain and thunder, they sagged in relief.


    Looks like they wouldn''t be receiving an unwanted visitor. Actually, since they were technically in his home, doesn''t that make them the unwanted visitors?


    Shaking his head of the thought, he turned around to see none other than Six glaring daggers at him. Seeing her look, he cleared his throat and looked away, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.


    "Hairy, what were you thinking?" she hissed. As quiet as her words were, she might as well have been shouting. The anger and disappointment he could hear in her voice sent a pang of agony straight into his heart. He looked down, shame covering his face.


    "Sorry. I didn''t mean to. I must have hit the button when I was checking the side," he mumbled. Six let out a sigh, feeling slightly guilty herself. She knew he didn''t mean to cause such a raucous. The suddenness of the sound coupled with the tension and frustration of the situation made her lash out.


    "No, I''m sorry. I know it was an accident. I could use some help over here, though, if you''re willing," she suggested, sounding rather bashful herself. But it was worth it, as the kicked puppy look on his face morphed into one of eager excitement.


    "Of course. I''ll be right there," he said, bounding over. He still looked like a puppy, but Six found she liked the sight of a happy puppy rather than a sad one. The sight brought a small smile to her own face.


    "So, whatcha need?" Harry asked, giving her a curious look.


    "I need some help getting this thing open so we can check inside," she informed him. Harry nodded, having felt that''s what she needed. He moved to the side so he could help lift the lid, with Six also gripping it in the same spot. It was a bit of a struggle, but they successfully managed to open it.


    As they did, the potent smell of dirty clothes reached their noses. It was almost enough to make Six drop the lid. Thankfully, she managed to keep her hold of it.


    "Alright, you''re up. Get in there," Six said.


    "Huh? Me?" Harry asked in disbelief, staring at the chest with revulsion.


    "Yes, you. I have to hold the lid, so that means you get to dig through this thing," she informed him, a hint of mischief in her ruby red eyes.


    "I see. In that case, let''s swap," he suggested.


    "No time for that. Come on Hairy, clocks ticking," she responded. Harry grumbled a bit but ceased arguing over it, walking to the front of the chest with a resigned frown. But before he did, he decided now was as good a time as any to ask Six his question.


    "By the way, how are we supposed to know what the numbers look like? We can''t exactly read their language."


    Six stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment, blinking owlishly at him. But once his words finally registered within her, she let out a swear, making Harry fight to hold in his laughter.


    Who knew hearing Six drop an F-bomb would be so funny?