Mono woke up first this time, not really remembering falling asleep, from having been distracted by his thoughts the night before. He doesn't know how long he's been asleep for, but he did feel a lot better than he did earlier, which came as a relief. His body still ached a bunch, but at least he didn't have a horrendous headache like he did the first time he woke up. He knew that he was rested enough to finally get up and fully check out the room he and Seven were potentially stuck in for who knows how long. He was wishing that it wouldn't be too long, because he knows for sure that he wouldn't be able to survive long in here without food or water, and The Hunter definitely wasn't going to offer them some. Even if he did he wouldn't take it unless he was extremely desperate, as everything would be most likely poisoned.
Then Mono thought about Seven. Seven, from what he seen already, was very petite. Which wasn't good for their situation, where they may not get anything of their body needs for a while. His shirt draped over him and his sleeves went a little past his hands. Mono could tell that Seven had not eaten a lot from wherever he came from, not that Mono ever had much to eat, but it seemed that Seven had it much worse. Perhaps that's why he came here? Or maybe he ended up here on accident like Mono had. He would ask Seven later, when he felt like he had the other's trust enough to get an honest answer.
When Mono finished his little inner monologue, he got up quietly, not wanting to wake up the still resting Seven. Mono glanced at Seven, wondering how he was comfortable all balled up next to the wall like that, but remembered that everyone slept differently. Mono stood all the way up, thankfully without causing Seven to show any signs of wakefulness. He didn't want to rudely cause Seven to wake up when he needed the rest more than the both of them. Not only was he roughly captured once, but twice, all in the matter of two days. It made a surge of guilt rise back up inside Mono, but instead of allowing it to take over his consciousness, he pushed it back down. He didn't have time to wallow in guilt.
The last time Mono was in here, he didn't really get to have a good look around, so this time he finally gave the room a good look over. There were several cage looking things stacked in a corner, right next to a table that had a box on top of it. He wondered if there was anything in it that could help them, but he would worry about that in a little bit, since he was distracted by the window above it. The small amount of light filtering through the window lighting up the otherwise dim room. There wasn't much else in the room, and he could tell that it hadn't been used for a while before he and Seven were captured.
Without much more dazing around the room, Mono made his way to the table with the small window above it. That window was the only thing allowing light to enter the room, especially since the old doorway was now boarded up tightly with new wood, much to Mono's disappointment. The light softly filling the room gave Mono a little hope that he and Seven would make it out alive, and instead of snuffing it out like last time, he let it make him feel somewhat better.
The dust floating around signified that the room has not been clean in a very long time. That showed that this was most likely an extra room or an unused room that The Hunter had, which he already came to the conclusion earlier when he saw how empty it was. Though a part of Mono also wondered if this room was specifically for people The Hunter captured and trapped. It was unlikely. There were really no details in the room that would show that, but it was still a possibility and Mono didn't like the idea at all.
Mono tentatively lifted himself onto the table, which proved itself to be a struggle with how injured his body still was. He made it up there, trying to ignore the pain it brought him, and saw what he believed was a chest of some sort that he thought was just a regular box earlier. He tried to open it, pulling on it with all the leftover strength he still had, but it was sadly locked tightly. It may have even been empty with how light the box felt, but he would never know for sure until he found a way to unlock it. He really wished he had his key thing on him now, even though it most likely wouldn't have fit, it may prove useful some other way.
He looked to the side, fully noticing the stacked up cages, the sight of what The Hunter may use them for made him shudder. Then Mono looked up again at the window. He knew he couldn't reach it from here, but maybe he and Seven could use the cages and the chest to get up there and escape. It made Mono feel wistful, but he also knew that it would be hard to get the window open, if it even opened at all. Which would be a problem if it didn't, because then they would have to most likely break it, if they could even manage that.
Quietly sighing, Mono hopped back down from the table, landing as soft as he could on the ground. The room was mostly barren, with only a few things strewn about, most not likely to help them with their goal. There was a rug like thing in the middle, which might be more ideal to lay on than the cold, hard floor. Strangely enough there was a music box like thing in one of the corners which seemed odd compared to the rest of the room. Why would The Hunter have that in here?
While Mono was looking around, Seven was beginning to wake up. He allowed himself to slowly get up, as his body was still in a good amount of pain from everything that had happened the last few days. His eyes wandered to the strange boy that was checking out the room. Seven's eyes followed the other's movements, and not wanting to startle him, he didn't say a word or make any noises.
It was only until Mono looked at Seven did he notice that he was awake and staring at him. This made Mono's face heat up a bit, as he didn't know how long Seven had been up and watching him, and if he woke up the boy or not. Even with Mono's embarrassment, he still lifted up his hand and gave a small wave with a tiny hey to go along with it. Mono could sort of tell that Seven wasn't much of a talker, but he was fine with that, as he wasn't used to talking much either.
Seven offered a small smile and waved back. Seven also felt a little embarrassed for having been caught staring, but he quickly recovered before his face could heat up. Then he slowly got up, his body protesting every move, and started to look around himself. He was in here before, but it hadn't been for very long as Mono had come and tried to get him out. When he first woke up here, he did have a quick look around, trying to find a way to escape. Though his body was extremely tired and didn't have the energy to do anything, making it practically useless to waste the little energy he had at the time.
His body was still barely able to move around much without aching, and he had to stop himself from wincing when he stretched his back. Way too much had happened in the last week that it was starting to take a toll on him. What Seven wanted for now was rest, he could escape later, when he knew that he would actually be capable of running for a long period of time. It seems that was the only thing Seven has been doing lately was running away. It was no wonder why some of the other kids he used to know called him the "Runaway Kid". Now he has run away to a place that may have been too much for his small body to handle.
As Seven was studying the window, thinking about how they may possibly escape using it, he heard a soft call from another part of the room. He turned to see Mono in a very dusty corner crouched down looking at something. Being confused, Seven was about to ask what Mono was doing, but he decided that he could just go see instead, remembering how hoarse his voice was.
Walking over to Mono, Seven saw that it seemed like Mono was dusting off the item with his hand, but it didn't seem too dusty in the first place as not much dust flew off. When Seven made it over there, he looked over Mono's shoulder and saw what he was looking at. To his surprise it was the old looking, wind up music box. He had found it when he first came here and was playing it right before Mono came. He only played it because it brought him comfort in the unsettling silence that was there when he was by himself. He had almost forgotten all about it, from how much had happened in such little time.
"Is this what you were playing when I came to help you?" Mono asked and Seven slightly flinched. Mono didn't exactly know why Seven sometimes flinched when he spoke, maybe it was because he wasn't used to people speaking actual sentences, but somewhere in Mono's mind he thought that maybe it was because he was scared of Mono. He didn't like that, and he knew he was going to continue thinking that until he knew that he had gained Seven's trust, which would take some time.
"Yeah." Mono was brought back to reality when he heard Seven's small voice. Mono usually spoke quietly, but to be able to hear Seven you would have to be listening intensely to him. Not like Mono minded or anything, he was glad to listen to somebody for once.
"Can I try it?" Seven was shocked to hear Mono ask to play the music box, because he didn't own it or anything. Though Mono was looking at him, waiting for a response. Seven looked back, and saw a small glimmer where the sun was shining on his eyes. Although he could hardly see them, he could tell that Mono's eye color was very dark, and if he didn't know any better he would think they were completely black.
Seven realized that he still hadn't given Mono an answer and started to get embarrassed from the staring. "Of- of course." He stuttered and shut his mouth quickly when he heard his voice sound louder than it normally did, like he couldn't control it. His face continued to get red as his embarrassment grew, and he automatically looked away to try to hide it.
Mono noticed this and tried to offer a small smile to comfort the bashful boy, but then he realized that the other wouldn't be able to see it. He frowned a bit, but didn't dwell on it long before he turned around and put his hand on the wind up carefully. Cautiously winding it, he waited for something to happen. Though as the seconds went by, and nothing happened, he started to get a little anxious.
After a few more seconds of quiet tension and the soft grinding of gears, a melody began to play. It was the same hypnotic melody that played when Mono was searching for Seven. The one that drew him in and forced him to almost unconsciously follow it. His thoughts sort of stopped as he listened to it, and it seemed to bring some level of comfort as well, which was weird considering their situation.
The melody continued to play and Seven eventually sat next to Mono, watching as Mono continued to wind the music box slowly. They were both just sitting there, listening to the music that they were hardly ever able to hear with their world in shambles like it was. After a while, Seven had fallen asleep with his head falling against Mono's shoulder. Mono stiffened a bit, but relaxed as he continued to listen to the soft song, sort of forgetting that his head was even there. Though it didn't take him long to fall asleep as well, for once falling into a deep, calm sleep.
This time Seven was the first to wake up rather than Mono, even with his injuries. At first he was confused why he felt sort of warmer than usual, then he remembered he fell asleep next to Mono while they were listening to the music box. He fully opened his tired eyes and looked at the other boy. They were both on the ground, and Seven had curled up, in his normal ball like style, next to Mono. Mono was practically laying like a starfish, his arms laying above his head, and one of his legs were completely stretched out while the other was slightly up. It made Seven smile a tiny bit at how ridiculous Mono looked sleeping at the moment, and wondered how the boy could even sleep like that.
What also caught his attention was the fact that Mono's paper bag was lifted just a tiny bit, revealing his mouth. Seven saw that the boy was drooling a bit, and laughed a little to himself. He scooted away from Mono in order to get up without waking the other up, feeling that it would be rude when Mono had tried not to wake him up before. He felt a lot better this time, so he knew that it was about time to come up with an escape plan. He needed to figure one out soon because he was already very hungry. He didn't exactly eat before he got here and he had been using a lot of energy lately, making the pains in his stomach much more noticeable then they were earlier.
Standing up, Seven looked back at Mono who was still snoozing away. He was somewhat tempted to look under his odd paper bag that he wore on top of his head, but he knew that would upset the other boy. They don't need to be fighting, especially when they were supposed to be working together to get out of here. Seven kind of hoped that they would become friends, if they weren't already, because it could be kind of lonely in this depressing world. He thought he would be fine on his own, but he soon realized that there was a lot he couldn't do by himself, which also made him feel useless sometimes.
Seven noticed that once again he was staring at the poor boy, and quickly looked away in case he had woken up, not wanting to weird Mono out. Seven had a bad habit of spacing out when he was thinking, and it could lead to him getting embarrassed if he wasn't careful. That and the mysterious boy interested him, which was normal from how different he was. He had never met somebody like Mono before, and he has met several different kids and creepily distorted adults.
Where did he come from? How did he know where Seven was? How did he know the man with the gun? Was he to be trusted?
There were a lot of questions that Seven had yet to ask. He doesn't know if he would have the courage to ask, as he didn't speak much to begin with and he was pretty bashful. Though it was important to know some things about the person you were potentially escaping with, so that they could work together better and get along easier. Afterall, it was unlikely that Seven would be able to escape without somebody helping him. He was pretty weak, with all the energy he spent without any food or water, recovering and running a lot within a few days. It was a wonder how he was still holding up, but he knew he was pretty tough in these situations, and there were times where he went on longer without food or water. Perhaps one day things will be different.
Going away from the dusty corner with the still sleeping child and old music box, Seven ended up going back to the table that he had hid under when Mono broke in, petrified by the sight of an axe tearing down the wall that separated him from The Hunter. He still regrets freaking out like he did and causing The Hunter to be able to capture them both, but he also knew that he couldn't help it, since he was scared of Mono at the time. He didn't know Mono, nor did he think that anybody was going to try to help him because he was sure he was the only child here. That's why he ran away when he heard the gunshot, he thought that it had been a trap. Now he knew that he had screwed up perhaps his only chance at escaping, and well, surviving.
Seven closed his eyes when he felt them start to sting, knowing what that sensation meant. He didn't want to cry right now, not anytime soon really. He hasn't cried in a long time. It was just a waste of what little water he had in his body, and he couldn't afford that at the moment. If he cried right now, it would probably cause him to die quicker, which he didn't want. Although he wasn't the most helpful, he knew that Mono could use some help, especially when he had played a role in getting him into this mess. The tears in his eyes slowly faded away, as he forced himself to think of other things. Like a few ways that they could use to escape, even if he knew none of them were likely to work, at least it was something to make his mind focus on something less depressing.
After calming himself down, Seven tried to haul himself onto the large table. It was extremely hard due to the fact he was pretty short and didn't have much arm strength, considering he was practically a toothpick. He did get up there after several embarrassing attempts, and had a look around the table he was now sitting on. There was a box thing with a lock on it that he assumed was a chest of some sort. He tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge with the lock that was securely keeping it together. The chest felt surprisingly light, and Seven didn't hear anything when he shook it. He thought that it might just be empty, but that wouldn't explain why there was a lock on it and why it was left in this room. Though it was the same crazy man that killed a whole bunch of people and treated them like mannequins he was thinking about, so who knows what's in the chest. To be honest, Seven didn't really want to find out as it was probably something disgusting and useless anyways. That didn't mean that they shouldn't open it, because if it did end up being something they could escape with, then they could get out of this house a lot faster.
He gave another quick look around the table to see that nothing else was really on it, and it was quite dusty, which he didn't like. Seven hated dust as it had the contingency to make him sneeze a lot, and Mono was still sleeping so he didn't want to take a chance and wake him. He didn't know if Mono could be grumpy from being woken up in such a startling way, but he wasn't about to find out.
Seven looked to the cages on his right. There was nothing in them, but some of them looked damaged as if they had been used several times. There was no doubt that The Hunter used them before, and Seven was honestly glad that he wasn't in one of them. He would probably freak out in such a small container, from where he was from it usually meant that you were going to die. Old memories threatened to make their way into his mind, and he forced himself to think of something else. He couldn't dwell on the past.
Then Seven looked at the window that offered them light from the outside world. He was curious as to what was happening out there, but he wasn't near tall enough to reach up and look out to do that. He wished he was taller sometimes, so that things wouldn't be so hard all the time. Though there are some advantages to being tiny as well, like being able to hide easier. Sometimes he wished he didn't have to hide, and maybe he wouldn't one day if he found somewhere safe, he just had to keep going.
Right when Seven was about to get off of the table, he saw that Mono was awake and looking right at him, his dark eyes hidden by the paper bag. Seven froze for a second, surprised because he didn't even hear Mono move at all, but he was lost in his thoughts. Then after a few more seconds of staring at Mono, Seven waved a little, starting to become uncomfortable. Mono seemed to snap out of whatever gaze he was in, and hurriedly waved back. Seven even might have thought he would have a small smile on his face, but he wasn't able to tell.
Mono was a little embarrassed to have been staring that long without noticing. Truth was, he got lost in his whirlwind of thoughts going on in his mind, that he didn't even notice that Seven had been staring right back at him. He was thankful that he had the paper bag on his face to hide his embarrassment. It was one of the perks of hiding your face, that and keeping yourself safe from a hateful world.
Not wanting to awkwardly stand there anymore, Mono walked over to Seven slowly, still feeling the aftermath of being slammed into the ground by a huge man. "Do you think we can get to that window?" Mono asked, wanting Seven's opinion first before he said anything else, because he really didn't want to make a fool of himself so soon. He still needed to get Seven's trust, meaning that he had to be kind and useful, but he still would have been like that even without trying hard to gain Seven's friendship. It was just who he was naturally, except for when he got frustrated or angry.
Seven looked at Mono then at the window then to Mono again. "Maybe, but we're both too short to try to reach it by hoisting one another up." Seven replied after thinking for a few seconds, that being the truth. He could tell that Mono had a plan by the way he was acting, and he wanted to hear it. Mono did seem like a good planmaker, so maybe he could come up with something to get them up there. Even if it wasn't a decent plan, Seven was still going to listen and at least think about it. It would be unfair otherwise.
"I know, but perhaps we could stack some things and get our way up there." Mono explained, looking towards the cages. Seven followed Mono's head movement to the stacked up cages and thought about it. He didn't know how heavy they would be, or how hard it would be to get them onto the table and stack them up. They might be able to make some makeshift staircase, but that would also be difficult. Though it was a possible way to get out of here, and Seven was going to take it. He knew they could do it if they tried hard enough. Plus Mono seemed somewhat stronger than Seven, which would definitely come in handy.
"It could be difficult, but it's worth a try." Seven told Mono, after around a minute of silence. Mono was glad that Seven was willing to try his idea, because he believed that it could very well work. He had been thinking of ways to get to the window, and this one seemed the most logical at the moment. If this didn't work, they could always come up with something different, at least until The Hunter catches on or one of them dies some other way. That thought almost made Mono feel sick, but before it could really take effect, he stopped thinking about it. He needed to put his focus on the task at hand. Helping Seven get out of here alive and leave as far away from the Wilderness and The Hunter as they could. Then they could try and find some place safe. First they just needed to try something, and this seemed to be a good place to start.