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?