Chapter Text
“You are a strange child.”
Six looked up and glared at the thing as it spoke to her. She had gone a solid three days completely ignoring the stupid thing, and she wasn’t planning to break her silence now. Instead, she pointedly looked away to show it how little she cared about it’s comment. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to notice nor care, and kept talking.
“You’re immune to the tower’s signal, hunger to a point that it gnaws ever so slightly at our own conscious, and you seem to treat all of this as normal facts of life.” It crossed its arms and scowled, “Strange indeed.”
Six rolled her eyes.
“I don’t suppose you’d answer any questions I might have. You’ve been giving me the silent treatment for quite a while now. Childish, if you weren’t already.”
She didn’t respond. Though, she quietly wondered what sort of questions this stupid thing would have. Last she checked, it could see through any eye. Whether it be from a toy, a painting, or any viewer. What would it have questions about? What did it not see? She frowned to herself, and patted the ground in thought.
“It’s hard to keep track of individuals such as yourself. We don’t pay mind to children more than we have to.” A slight pause, “Well, other than our Prince, we suppose. Though he is a special case. You understand.”
Six turned to glare at it. Glaring didn’t count as an answer. It was an action. The thing snorted at her glare, and continued.
“Yes yes, we are rambling now. We don’t expect you to understand being cut off from a hivemind. It is saddening, really, to be apart from the rest of The Flesh! We have to speak to fill the space that many thoughts used to fill, since you insist on keeping your own silence.” It hummed, and started walking in a random direction.
“There are a few places on this planet that escape our range of sight. The outside of the walls that make up the Pale City, the deep forests that we only have a few eyes in, the lands far out to the west that are made purely of wheat and old barns… And the Maw.”
Six tried to hide the fact that she jumped from where she sat. But if the thing noticed, it didn’t comment.
“I don’t expect you to know of the Maw outside of fliers and old stories, child.” It laughed quietly to itself, “If you had seen it, you’d be dead. It was a place of order, held under the fist of a fine Lady. Was, is the key word. The Maw is now leaderless. The Lady announced her death to us a few days before her passing, told us that her place would be taken… But nothing happened. We believe that her and her child died at the same time, perfectly matched for power.”
Six stared at nothing, her eyes out of focus, as she tried her hardest not to react to what the thing was saying. Telling her about her own adventure. Her own victory. As if she had no idea what had happened on that damn ship. Her fingers twitched as if to form a fist, but she willed them to stay relaxed.
“Since that, we can only assume that the Maw has finally fallen to chaos. A victory for us, if we were able to see it. Our televisions are either smashed or unplugged within its belly, and the eyes that lined the walls have since been clawed out.” It frowned. “Upsetting, but we assume it is of the Maw’s own volition. Angered at the turn of events that had led the next in line for the Maw’s throne to be the offspring of our pawn.”
“WHAT.”
Six shot up, a mindless panic shoving aside any composure she might have had. She gripped the thing’s shoulders.
“What did you say! What- about-”
“Calm yourself child!” It shoved her off of it, scowling, “Why only now do you break… your...”
They kept eye contact for a long time. Realization dawning in the eyes of the thing while Six’s hands shook at her side. It grinned.
“You… You! You are the child!” It nearly laughed with joy, “No wonder the signal didn’t taint your mind, you’re already tainted! The result of a union that has destroyed our worst enemy! We didn’t recognize you- we apologize- that raincoat is such commonplace that it is hardly a distinctive factor in- Ah! We are rambling again.”
“Yes!” Six snapped, “Yes you are fucking rambling you stupid pile of meat scraps! What the hell do you mean by any of what you said! The Maw is gone, I did that. I don’t get all goo-goo eyed at your stupid static, I KNOW! What do you mean about the other stuff, damnit! Be useful for once and answer me!”
It waved her off, pacing back and forth excitedly, “That doesn’t matter! All that matters is that you’re able to become a new host should the Prince fail! You’ll be wonderful! You’ll be-!”
A light shone on the both of them, and Six froze. Seems the thing had forgotten one of the key rules to surviving; keeping yourself quiet. Fear spiked in her stomach as her eyes adjusted to the light. She was all too ready to find herself face to face with another twisted adult ready to kill her. But her fear slowly started to slip away. A glimmer of hope shoved itself into her mind. She knew this adult.
The Ferryman had found her.