Chapter Text
They were being taken. Each and every kid in his pack was being stolen, and Mono was running. He hid his barely concealed breaths behind the paper bag he always wore, stumbling away from the previously burning room. He stopped only once in his race to get away, just for a moment to give some brief relief to his scarred and sore feet. But as the ‘Thump Thump’ of the monster’s steps drew near he ran once again.
His heart was pounding as he briefly glanced over the room he was in. The tall window appeared to be open, but with only cardboard boxes close enough to climb, he didn’t trust that he could escape before the monster snatched him up like the rest of his former pack. Instead he ran towards a broken tv, shattered, harmless, and most importantly, hollow. Perfect to squeeze his little body into to hide and wait out the monster’s prowl. He curled up tightly into one of the far corners, his knees painfully held up against his chest and arms in the jagged metal space.
Mono couldn’t help but look out of the small space he wedged himself in, if not anything but to track the monster’s progress within the room. The shadow loomed closer and blocked out the light from the window. It wandered closer and closer, and Mono shifted slightly to cover his mouth and nose with his calloused hands.
It couldn’t see him right? It was too tall, not even Mono could see its gaping maw and sharp teeth in the reflections of the remaining glass. His heart pounded louder and louder, maybe that was what it was tracking. The boy in the TV desperately tried to quiet himself, but it made no difference.
Long thin fingers stretched out for him inside the TV, and he could do nothing but squirm and push further into the metal as they wrapped around his torso.
Mono clawed at the fingers holding him, kicking out and trying anything to get the monster to let go, to no avail. The too tall monster brought him higher and closer to its face, this was it, he was dead, he was dead, he was DEAD. Mono screamed and shut his eyes so tight it hurt. No, no, no, no, NO!!!!
The monster paused, its other hand reaching up and gently pulling the paper mask away, as if Mono dying with his comfort item was too much to ask.
The boy’s eyes flew open as he reached for the bag, held just out of reach. Crying out, clawing, kicking, anything he could think of.
The world around him suddenly screamed in static and his skin prickled and stung. His bag was momentarily forgotten as he tried his best to block out the pain. Holding his palms over his ears, shutting his eyes, and gritting his teeth together.
Just as quickly as it came, the static and the pain vanished as the world around him changed. The monster lowered itself to the ground and made sure Mono’s feet had done the same before it released its hold on him. Mono stumbled back before bolting underneath the bed of this new room he found himself in. Crushing himself back against the wall, he stared out at the threat.
It peered at him curiously, eyes faintly glowing with a TV-like static. It held Mono’s stare for a minute, before adjusting its hat and looking at the bag still pinched between two of its slender fingers. Then, with an almost human sounding groan, it stood. One moment it was there, the next a faint hum of static was all that remained.
Mono stayed underneath the bed even after the monster had left. He didn’t know how quickly it would return after all. But he did give the room a thorough scan from his position underneath the protective furniture.
It was a brighter room than most, toys lined some shelves on one wall, the flooring was soft and felt nice under his feet, and the colors that decorated the walls in funny patterns were vibrant yet soft.
That wasn’t what he focused on.
Mono noted that the room had no windows. There was no door.