(Artwork by zZFabioZz)
The sound of wood creaking and the ocean waves was all Mono could hear for a moment as he felt his head resting on something soft. He slowly opened his eyes, immediately coming face to face with the same giant from before who was still rowing the boat they were in. He raised his head out of embarrassment after noticing he was resting on Six's shoulder.
"Please tell me she didn't see that..."
"Good morning, Mono."
Mono's eyes widened as he turned toward Six who was looking back at him. She closed her eyes as she yawned, putting her hands behind her head and leaning back.
"Uh... good morning..."
"You were talking in your sleep last night."
He rubbed his eyes, nodding in response.
"Yeah, I... wait, I was?"
"I couldn't understand what you were saying, but I heard you say my name a couple of times."
"Oh... well, sorry I guess."
She stood up, peering over the side of the boat. Mono got up himself and looked out into the ocean, looking out in the water for any other boats or animals. He tried to think of what he was dreaming about last night, perhaps that could explain all of the talking he was doing in his sleep?
"Was I dreaming about Six? No, that's weird! Plus, I would've remembered it by now."
He felt like the dream was in the back of his mind, but he couldn't put his finger on what happened in it. Mono concentrated, desperately trying to recall what happened in the dream.
"There was... a... lady?"
Mono felt chills as a memory of a tall woman popped into his mind. They had long, black hair and a dark brown kimono. The most unnerving part to Mono was that she had a white mask that covered her face. Something about her appearance was terrifying to him.
"But that doesn't explain why I was saying Six's name..."
He tried to put the two together, thinking really hard until it hit him.
"What in the world...?"
Another image presented itself in Mono's mind, and it confused him more than ever. He saw Six dragging something along the floor toward the tall lady. They were in a pitch-black room, the only two things being illuminated were Six and the lady. Mono couldn't remember anything other than that single image, so he immediately tried to forget it, thinking it was just a little paranoid nightmare that he had.
"Whatever..."
Six whispered to him as she leaned over the boat.
"Do you see anything out there other than water?"
"No, not yet."
Mono turned to face her, whispering back.
"I didn't keep you awake the whole night, did I?"
"Hm? Oh, no you didn't. It didn't last that long."
"Well, that's a relief."
He watched a group of seagulls fly around in the distance as he tried to make some conversation to fill the awkward silence. The lady from Mono's dream was still in the back of his mind, but he tried to ignore it to the best of his ability. He watched the birds disappear into the fog as the sun disappeared into the cloudy sky overhead.
"Well, I'm gonna go back to sleep."
Six turned around and sat back down, leaning her back against the boat and closing her eyes.
"Wake me up when we get somewhere."
"Um... alright."
Mono kept watch, staring out intently into the ocean for any sign of land in the distance. But, as usual, all that would be presented to him was a stretch of blue that went on for miles. He stared up into the sky for what felt like ages until he felt something wet hit his nose.
"Is it starting to rain?"
The ocean water began to ripple suddenly as the rain began to pour down from the sky. He immediately lowered his head, holding his hand out over his head.
"Great."
Mono stumbled as the boat suddenly jolted upward, regaining his footing as he almost fell backward. Six almost immediately woke up from her nap, getting onto her feet and pulling her hood up. The boat began to shake as the two held their hands out to their sides in an attempt to stabilize their balance.
"Storm's coming, be careful!"
Mono cupped his hands and yelled at Six, his voice barely being audible over the heavy rain. A shadow cast over the boat as the giant took out an umbrella from the suitcase and opened it, blocking the rain from getting the two wet.
"Thanks, big guy!"
Six expressed her gratitude as the giant planted the umbrella into one of the holes in the boat so they could continue rowing forward.
"Woah!"
Mono jumped as water splashed over the boat but Six caught him as he was falling backward. She brought him to the middle of the boat, huddling up next to the giant as the storm poured harder. Six sat him down, checking him for any injuries.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm good..."
Water sloshed around the inside of the boat as they violently rocked back and forth, but the giant seemed perfectly calm, keeping the boat from turning over by carefully paddling around the waves in the water. Six seemed very nervous, keeping a firm grip on Mono and holding him in place while she maintained her balance.
"Watch out!"
Mono pointed at a huge wave that was incoming, bracing himself as it made contact with the boat, causing the boat to spin out of control. The giant quickly set one of his paddles aside and held his hand out, keeping the two in place as the boat was thrown around violently by the waves. Mono's eyes widened as he saw another wave that was headed directly toward the boat.
"Get down!"
"Oh, we are so screwed!"
Six expressed her hopelessness as she pointed out the incoming wave. This one was bigger than the others and was seconds away from smashing into the boat. The giant quickly picked up the paddle he had set down and turned the boat to the side, barely missing the wave by an inch.
"Phew... too close..."
Mono let out a sigh of relief as the waves started to calm down before they became completely flat once again. The rain poured gently now as the situation became very tame very quickly. Just as the havoc had ceased, the giant stopped rowing the boat completely, putting the paddles on the sides of the boat. Six cautiously peered over the side of the boat, her gut instinct telling her something was wrong.
"Something's not right..."
"What do you mean?"
He got up off of the floor, standing next to Six and peering over the edge of the boat with her. Mono looked around trying to see what made her say that.
"Do you see something?"
"It's too calm..."
A faint rumble confirmed her suspicions, the two turned back and faced the giant who was just sitting there, not moving the boat any longer. Six was now very confused, inquiring the giant on his inactivity.
"Why the hold-up?"
The giant simply opened up his suitcase, taking out a flyer and holding it up in front of their faces. A strange drawing of a shell-like object with a chimney at the top fuming out smoke could be seen. Mono was very intrigued, reading the bold text that took up most of the advertisement out loud.
"The Maw? What's that supposed to mean?"
The boat slightly shook as the muffled sound of metal creaking could be heard under the water. The giant neatly folded the flyer, placing it back into the suitcase. He took out a pair of crackers that were wrapped in plastic, ripping off the wrapping and handing out some to Mono and Six.
"Uh... thanks."
Mono shrugged, breaking it in half and passing the bigger piece to Six. The crackers were about the same size as them, and he wasn't feeling very hungry. She gave him a skeptical look as she was already eating her own cracker, passing the half he had given her back to him.
"Keep it, you need it more than me."
"But! Agh... fine."
He chewed on a tiny piece of the cracker as the sound of screeching metal persistent from beneath them. Mono whispered over to Six, expressing his confusion about the current situation.
"What's going on? Why are we stopped? And why did he show us that ad?"
"I don't know, I couldn't get a good look at the paper."
The metal began to produce a whining noise as it sounded like it was getting closer. Mono nervously scooted toward Six, setting his cracker down and whispering to her.
"You hear that too, right?"
"Yeah, I hear it..."
The two quieted down as the noises suddenly stopped. Mono held his breath anxiously for what felt like an eternity before suddenly...
BOOM!!
Suddenly, the waves began to fly upward in the far distance, a metallic sphere that looked almost identical to the one seen on the flyer presented itself. A metallic roar emitted from the Maw as it presented itself to the outside world. Panic ensued in Mono as the giant began to paddle toward the behemoth instead of away from it.
"Wait, wait, wait! Why are we going toward it!?"
"Yeah! Turn the boat around!"
The two began to panic as the boat got closer and closer to the Maw, the giant seemingly ignoring their pleads. Six eventually gave up, whispering to Mono.
"I think this was his plan all along, to bring us out here and feed us to the Maw!"
"What?! We gotta get off this boat, right now!"
The two froze as they heard a blaring horn in the distance, but it wasn't coming from the Maw. Out of the fog emerged a large ship that continued to bellow. It was headed directly toward the Maw, for what reason Mono could not figure out. The ship continued to sail forward toward the metallic dome, quickly approaching it and stopping by its side. The metallic sphere towered over the now tiny ship in comparison as Mono watched a wooden bridge get lowered, connecting the ship to the Maw. Then, one by one, giant humanoid entities proceeded to step into the Maw from the bridge.
"Why are they going in there? That's a death trap!"
Mono expressed his confusion as the giant that was paddling the boat toward the Maw opened the suitcase, laying the flyer out in front of the two, letting them get a better look at it. Six crouched down in front of it and read it out loud.
"The Maw is an underwater resort that arrives every year at the same time, but never in the same place?"
"What's a resort?"
"Oh, well it's like a place where you'd go if you're on a vacation. Though, I don't know why you'd want to go on the Maw of all things..."
"A vacation?"
Six sighed, regretting her poor choice of words.
"I shouldn't have put it like that, but... it could be a vacation spot. I'm not sure yet."
"Well, at least we know it's not a giant sea monster."
"It could be something worse than that, or it could be our best chance at survival."
A chill went down Mono's spine as he stared up at the colossal dome.
"Only one way to find out... and we don't have many options."
They continued to sail along the rainy ocean, approaching the back of the ship that was sending humans into the supposed entrance of the Maw. Mono couldn't shake off the feeling that this was an awful idea and that they should've just stayed on the beach, but another side of him felt that this was the best choice for their wellbeing. The boat approached the back of the ship a lot quicker than Mono thought it would. The giant stopped the boat completely and closed the umbrella, opening the suitcase and neatly placing it back in its original position. They then scooted the suitcase over, pushing it next to Mono and Six and pointing at the inside of it.
"Does he want us to get in?"
Six whispered over to Mono, unsure of the giant's intentions. Surely enough, the giant slightly nodded, confirming the answer to her question.
"Okay, why not."
Mono stretched as he got onto his feet, Six following behind him as they entered the suitcase. They ducked at the giant closed the suitcase, the sound of a click being the last thing they heard before the outside world became muffled. They were shrouded in complete darkness, and it was very stuffy.
"Ow!"
He hit his head on something he couldn't see, causing Six to quickly check up on him.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Bumped my head."
Mono fumbled around in the dark before suddenly they started moving. He could hear muffled footsteps as the giant assumedly brought them into the ship. He listened closely, hearing distant voices and other strange noises. He could feel himself bouncing up and down with every step the giant took.
"Mono, where are you?"
"Over here!"
They whispered in the dark as Mono felt something touch his left shoulder.
"Is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me!"
"Alright, I'm gonna try and take a peek outside."
Mono pressed his hands up against the suitcase in front of him and pushed, a crack of light entering the suitcase for a moment. He moved toward the area where he last saw the light until he bumped into a corner. Pressing his hands up against the suitcase, he slightly pushed once again, giving him a tiny opening that he could see out of.
"What do you see?"
Six was curious, trying to peek over Mono's head. He was dead silent as the outside world mesmerized him. From what little he could distinguish, he saw multiple obese giants sitting down at dinner tables, shoving piles of food down their throats. They had stubby limbs along with a face that appeared swollen, raspily breathing as they continued to feast. Some wore strange masks that had cartoonish eyes and mouths, and there appeared to be hundreds of them in this single ship alone.
"Six, are you seeing this?"
"Barely..."
She stood on her toes before Mono moved back, realizing he was obstructing her vision. He continued to hold the suitcase open just a little so Six could get a look outside.
"The heck is going on out there?"
She was very confused but found herself unable to stop looking.
"Why are there so many of them?"
Whispering under her breath, she looked away, sitting down under the patch of light and thinking to herself as Mono peeked outside himself, trying to gather more details.
"These guys don't look friendly at all..."
"Maybe that's why he put us in this suitcase, so we wouldn't attract any attention?"
"Maybe..."
Mono tried to poke his head out of the suitcase, trying to see what was in front of them. He couldn't see very much without forcing the suitcase open, but he could make out a long line of the same big, fat people. The giant was walking along a red carpet, and at the very end Mono could barely make out a wooden bridge.
"Just as I thought, we're going straight in the Maw..."
He pulled his head back in, returning to peering out of the corner of the suitcase.
"You think... I can get a nap in..?"
Six yawned, crossing her arms and resting her back against the wall.
"Uh... yeah, go for it. We're gonna be here for a while. I'll wake you up when we get somewhere."
"Alright... thanks..."
For what felt like forever, the giant continued to walk along the red carpet with the other gluttons, keeping a firm grip on the suitcase Mono and Six were hiding in. He felt tired himself, his eyes getting heavy as he sat down, still peering outside. A sudden shift in angle awakened him rather quickly as they had made to the bridge. Mono could see the ocean below as they walked up along the wooden bridge. He marveled at the view for a short period of time as they made their way inside the Maw.
The giant's footsteps echoed along the metallic walls as they entered the jaws of the metallic ship. Their surroundings became very dark along with the air becoming very cold.
"Six? Are you awake?"
"Mhmm..? What is it..?"
"We're inside."
She yawned as she got up onto her feet, Mono moving out of the way so she could take a look outside.
"Not much to see, but we are inside."
"Hm... alright... I'm gonna go take another nap..."
"Okay..?"
Mono thought she was joking at first, but she laid back down and almost immediately went back to sleep.
"Another nap?"
He was caught off guard by the giant suddenly stopping, jostling the suitcase a little. Mono heard the sound of metal turning and a door unlatching, taking a peek outside to see what was going on. The giant appeared to be taking an alternative route compared to the other giants who were continuing to walk forward into the dimly lit corridor ahead. Entering another room, the giant closed the door behind him and began to fiddle with the suitcase. Mono pulled his head back in once again as the giant gently lowered the suitcase onto the floor.
Mono quickly sat down on top of something, trying to make it look like he wasn't actively looking outside of the suitcase. As the giant crouched down and opened the suitcase, Mono slumped down to make it look like he was sleeping, waking up as soon as he felt light hit his face. He pretended to be sleepy, slowly opening his eyes and looking up at the giant. He raised a hand to wave at the giant before a question popped into his head.
"Wait, what am I sitting on?"
Before he could answer his own question, Six woke up, causing Mono to yelp as he fell off of her.
"Did somebody say something..?"
"Ow..."
Mono rubbed his head as Six sleepily sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"Are you okay, Mono?"
"I'm good, I'm good..."
He got onto his feet, his face red with embarrassment.
"Well, uh... we're here!"
Mono awkwardly laughed as he took a deep breath in, glancing around at the empty metallic room that they were now in. Six hopped off of the suitcase, looking around at their new home. Her face showed that she was skeptical, but she didn't complain. The giant picked up the rest of the crackers that were in the plastic wrapper, setting them down in front of the two. The giant then closed the suitcase, snapping it shut and standing straight up.
It raised one of its hands, slowly waving at the two. Mono and Six were confused, looking at one another before looking back at the giant, waving goodbye as well.
"Bye?"
Mono was very confused as the giant exited the room, locking the door shut. Six walked over to the package of crackers the giant had left them on the floor, ripping a piece off and eating it. Talking with her mouth full, she inquired about their next move.
"Well... now what?"
Word Count: 3188
Mono and Six have arrived in the Maw, I wonder what foes they will meet next?
Find out next time in... the next chapter!
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you find any errors or mistakes, let me know in the comments!
Have a good one!