After what felt like countless hours, the duo finally made it to the top of the stairs. Both of them were exhausted as Six tossed the key onto the final landing. She then climbed onto it as well, falling onto her back, completely spent. She heard Harry do the same, his wheezing breaths coming to rest beside her.

  "Hate stairs…Hate them," he complained. He never knew just how terrible they could be, especially when they were taller than you. His labored breathing reminded him of his uncle when he climbed the stairs at their place.

  Six couldn't argue his point. That was an absolutely miserable journey. It wouldn't have been nearly so bad if they weren't dragging a giant metal key with them, but unfortunately, it was probably required. Six dreaded finding out it went to the door on the second floor.

  After a few minutes of rest, Six forced herself to sit up. She wasn't recovered, not by a long shot, but staying in one place for too long, especially out in the open like this, was never a good idea. The Nowhere punished those who remained idle for too long.

  Looking towards the door, she felt a sense of satisfaction upon seeing the lock dangling there, conveniently low enough for them to access. She didn't know why that was. It seemed highly uncomfortable for someone of the Lighthouse Keeper's size to have to bend over to unlock the door whenever he wanted inside.

  But then again, what proof was there that he ever entered in the first place? With the key locked up tight, did these creatures possess the intelligence required to input a code? Accessing different areas, from what she has seen at any rate, always contained simple mechanisms. A lever, a chain, a button… Something even a toddler could figure out.

  It was almost like it was placed there for them, not the Residents. She wouldn't put it past this place, but for the moment, it didn't bear further thought. Best to simply focus on the task at hand.

  Standing up, begrudgingly, Six picked up the key with some difficulty. Her arms shook from the effort but it had to be done. She didn't come all this way, climbed all those stairs just to surrender to fatigue right at the finish line. She would cross it, no matter what.

  Seeing his friend struggle with her burden, Harry heaved himself onto his feet, no matter how loudly they protested. Carrying that thing would be far easier with the two of them.

  "Six, hang on. Let me help you with that," Harry said, quickly approaching her. Six stopped, sending him a grateful look as he picked up half.

  "Thanks," she said quietly. As much as she appreciated having his help, needing it in the first place bothered her something fierce. As much as she loved his company, his presence driving back the dark forces of the Nowhere that sought to consume both her flesh and mind, relying on it would only make her complacent.

  And complacency killed.

  Still, in this instant, she didn't think it too much of a problem. Not after climbing all those stairs with the thing. She didn't mind his help so much then either.

  Quickly, the two made it to the door. The room holding the light was right in front of them. Finally, they could grab it and be done with this place. Placing the key into the lock, they both released a sigh of relief as it slid in. Turns out it was the right key after all.

  As they let go, Harry's right arm cramped up, making him look like half a T-Rex. He had to forcefully straighten it out with the other arm.

  "You ok?" Six asked, concern and amusement piercing through her usual monotone. Harry groaned, feeling his arm doing its best to scrunch up again, twitching every now and again.

  "Yeah, peachy," he replied, sounding just a tad bit grumpy. Six gave a little snort. He didn't sound or look fine, but she took him at his word. No need to stir up any animosity by calling him a liar.

  She knew how much work he had been putting in, especially with his magic. He had every right to be tired and grouchy. It was too bad the day was only beginning. She didn't know the time exactly, and it was likely different here than in the Nest, but it was still pretty early in the morning. Chances are the Pretender wasn't even up yet.

  "Shall we then?" she asked, gesturing to the key which they had yet to turn. Harry nodded, just as eager as her to be rid of this place. The two approached on either side, grabbing hold of it.

  They stayed there for a moment, knowing that once they turned the key, there was no going back. Whatever lay beyond the door would be let loose. They could be worrying over nothing and the room was empty, but you never know. The Nowhere had a tendency of leaving nasty surprises where they were least expected.

  They looked into each other's eyes, with Harry placing a hand over her own. He gave her a firm, resolute nod which she returned. If there was anything past this door that wished them harm, they would face it together.

  The lock snapped open falling to the ground with a loud clang. The sound made them both flinch, hoping that a certain someone didn't hear it. He was only a single floor down after all, but with his snoring and the storm outside maybe, just maybe, he didn't hear that.

  The two of them waited, both believing they would be making a run for it. But after nearly a minute of quiet, nothing happened. No loud, thumping footsteps, no light threatening to turn them into stone, nothing. Seems they were in the clear.

  Both released the breath they had been holding. Looks like they still had some luck left after all. With the way clear and nothing currently trying to kill them, the two pushed open the door, ready to face the next challenge.

  Turns out, their next challenge was a ladder. The door swung open with barely a squeak, revealing a somewhat small room encased in stone. On the far end was a ladder jutting out of the wall and going straight up. Only, it was much too big for them to climb.

  "Now what?" Harry said, sounding exasperated. Six felt the same. All that work only to find a ladder they couldn't climb. It was maddening.

  However, Six kept a cool head, crimson eyes surveying the small room for anything of note. At the very least, nothing was trying to kill them, so that was a plus. Seeing a chunk of grey a lighter shade than the rest, Six cautiously made her way into the room. Just because there didn't appear to be any danger doesn't mean there wasn't any.

  Like getting the medallion in the secret room behind the projector. That didn't seem dangerous at first either but that turned out to be a very wrong assumption.

  Flicking her lighter on, she approached the object in question, and found it to be a vent cover. That was their ticket out of here.

  "Hairy," she said, gesturing to her discovery. Looking at it, Harry couldn't help but sigh.

  "More vents?"

  "More vents," Six replied. Knowing there wasn't another way forward, at least not that he could see, Harry grabbed hold of the vent while Six provided light. Maybe his arm would cramp up and help him open up this bad boy?

  Turns out, that wasn't necessary. The vent slid open with surprising ease. Didn't even make a sound. To be honest, that worried Harry more than anything. Even in the small amount of time he's been here, he knew to be wary when things were going too well.

  First the key fit, the Lighthouse Keeper didn't wake up, and now a silent, easily opened vent? It felt like something was luring them into a false sense of security before dropping the other shoe and bonking them on the head.

  He didn't want shoes that bad.

  Six entered the vents first, seeing that she was the one with a light. Harry had hoped to find some new batteries for his flashlight, but alas, no such luck. Still, he wasn't ready to discard the object just yet. You never know. Besides, it could be used to smack something as a last resort.

  The path was fairly long, but there were no twists or turns, no other way to go but forward. They were also much cleaner and nicer than the rest of the vents they had traveled through in the lighthouse. No risk of tetanus whatsoever.

  Eventually, they reached what Six assumed was the opposite side. It was there that the path finally came to an end. There was another ladder, though unlike the last, this one was made to accommodate people of their size.

  It was another strange piece of an even stranger puzzle that neither of them could put together. Why would somebody build something like this into the vents? Did they know children would use them or were they perhaps made for the Nomes? Strange either way.

  Regardless of the reason, they had a way forward. As they reached the ladder, Six looked up, seeing a bright light shine in even intervals through slits in what she assumed was another cover. It must be the lighthouse light.

  Placing her sore, bare foot on the cold, metal step, Six began to climb, with Harry following right behind. It wasn't very high up, ten feet or so, but that seemed a lot farther when you were so little.

  Once Six reached the end, she gently pushed up against the top. The cover opened with a small squeal but gave little resistance otherwise. Before entering the room fully, she took a peek at the interior.

  There was the device used to produce the light, spinning in the center of the room. Beyond that, it was pretty bare, with a few miscellaneous odds and ends scattered about. More importantly, there didn't seem to be any terrible beastie waiting for them.

  Looking down, she gave Harry a nod, which he returned. With that, she entered the room, officially in the tallest point in the tower. She heard the vent open and close again as Harry joined her, both standing in front of the device with a feeling of satisfaction.

  They had done it.

  The rotating light was an icy blue, and so bright that if it weren't for the storm raging outside, which they could now see through the glass, he was certain this place would have been crawling with those moth things.

  Harry walked up to the glass, watching the wrath of nature bombard the planet below. Lighting lit up the sky continuously, providing an almost constant stream of light, the sound of thunder like the beat of a drum.

  It was mesmerizing to watch. Even here, in the Nowhere, all things were subject to the whims of Mother Nature. It was humbling in a way, that even such monstrous abominations couldn't fight against her.

  He felt, rather than heard Six as she came to a stop beside him. She was way too good at being sneaky. She slipped her hand in his, almost unconsciously, as they stood there for some time, just watching. But eventually, it was time to get a move on. Six turned around, releasing her grip and Harry, after giving the world outside one last look, did the same.

  The two then approached the device in the center of the room. It looked… complicated. Harry couldn't make heads or tails of how it worked. But then again, he didn't have to. All they needed was the lens.

  And that was placed right inside the innermost portion of the disk where the light was shining from. If they wanted to claim their prize, they would have to find some way to turn the machine off.

  "Never that simple, is it?" Harry groused. Six didn't answer, too focused on the task at hand, her excellent eye trailing over every inch of the apparatus, trying to find the thing that would turn it off.

  Only to come up empty handed.

  She should have known better. Why would they place something like that with the machine? That would make things far too simple. Having inspected just about every inch of the rotating lamp and walking the entire circumference of the thing, she came to the conclusion that it simply wasn't there. No buttons, no levers, no nothing.

  So, she would need to look elsewhere. Turning to face the room, she saw the hatch which likely led to the ladder they couldn't climb. It could be down there, but that seemed unlikely. She didn't see anything that looked remotely like what they needed.

  Her biggest fear was it being in that small maintenance room accessible only through the vents in the Lighthouse Keeper's bathroom. It was unlikely, but not impossible. If they couldn't find some sort of switch, they may have to cut the power off entirely.

  She checked the ceiling, just in case, but there wasn't anything of note up there. Not even wires. They must be below it then. If that's the case, perhaps there was another hatch they could find, one with a switch inside.

  Telling this to Harry, the two set out to search for it. The room was large, considering it spanned the entire circumference of the lighthouse itself, which gave them plenty of room to search.

  At least they didn't have to check the walls, as they were all completely made of glass. It took them several minutes to find something. Harry was moving an old, moldy piece of cloth, face twisted in disgust, when he saw it. Right beneath that thing was a handle placed inside a small cavity.

  "Six, I think I found something!" he called out. Six, who had been staring at a crate, thinking about getting Harry's help to move it, heard him yell and quickly made her way over.

  "Right, let's open her up," she said once she saw what it was. Together, the two of them grabbed hold of it and pulled. It was stubborn, but inch by inch it slowly opened up. Six and Harry nearly tumbled over backward when the last little bit of it gave way.

  Looking down into the opening, they saw a ladder going down. One that was once again perfect in size for them. Six volunteered, being less tired and having the light. Harry offered to go using her lighter, but she shook her head. It really didn't matter which of them went but Six had that curious streak in her and wanted to see it for herself.

  So she descended into the dark, guided by a small, flickering light. It took her nearly 30 seconds before she reached the bottom, finding herself in a small room with just one thing inside of it.

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  A lever.

  Setting her light down, she jumped up, grabbing hold of it. It gave way, falling down and clicking into place. Six had no idea what it did, but hopefully it was something good.

  Harry, looking around nervously, waited for something, anything to happen. Over the din of the storm he heard what sounded like a board sliding across wood. Stranger still, it was coming from above him.

  Looking up, he saw a small, square hole open up in the ceiling on the opposite side of the room. From that hole, a chain rolled out, one with a handle on the end of it. Was that what they were supposed to use to stop this thing?

  Looking back down in the hole, he saw Six making her way back up. Once she was close enough, she halted her ascent, just in case she was forced to travel back down.

  "Anything?" she asked, sounding slightly hopeful. Harry gave her a nod, pointing behind him with his thumb.

  "Yeah. A hole opened up in the ceiling and a chain came out. I guess we're supposed to use that," he said, though he sounded unsure of that fact. Six was too, of course, but if it appeared when she pulled the lever down below, it should do something.

  Unless the Nomes got to it too of course.

  Climbing the rest of the way out, with Harry helping her back to her feet, Six looked over and saw what he was talking about. It wasn't just the strangeness of it that bothered her, it was the fact that it was far too high for either of them to grab, even boosting each other up.

  But she remembered seeing a small ladder somewhere… aha! There it is. Laying down on the job.

  "Come on, we need to get the ladder," she said. Harry nodded, and the two of them made for the object in question. It was an old, wooden thing, half rotted and rough to the touch. That was both a good thing and a bad thing.

  Good because that made it light and easier to maneuver. Bad, because it ran the risk of breaking. But at least they had something they could use.

  First they needed to get it right side up, or it wouldn't be of use to anyone. This was easier than you might think. Each of them took one side, grabbing the rails, and slowly walked forward, pushing the ladder up as they did so.

  Once it was standing upright, Six went to the other side and opened it up, until it resembled an A. Once that was done they took a step back, staring at it. It wasn't what one would call pretty, or even safe, but it should get the job done.

  Or kill them.

  Working together, they quickly maneuvered it beneath the chain. Once that was done, it was time to decide who would be going up it. This time, it was Harry who volunteered. He was the lighter of the two of them, so it made sense he would test the durability of it first.

  Placing his foot on the first step, he frowned at the coarseness of it. But he wouldn't beleaguer the issue. At least, not right now. Maybe later, in the off chance they found themselves somewhere safe, he could vent about the injustice of it all.

  He placed his whole weight on the first step, sighing in relief when it held. It made a noise, and if Harry could understand ladders, he would most likely feel insulted. As it was, he was just glad he didn't break it.

  Had it been Dudley who tried… Well, Dudley would have been dead a long time ago, so it really doesn't matter too much.

  Taking the second step, then the third, Harry continuously made his way up the step ladder. Once he was at the top, roughly 6 or 7 feet in the air, he nervously looked at the handle. It wasn't too far, so all he would have to do is give a little hope, and Bob's your uncle.

  Taking a deep breath, he did just that, leaping up and easily grabbing hold of it. The chain was yanked down slightly, just a few inches, before stopping. They could hear a groaning noise as the lamp started slowing down.

  Seeing this, Harry let go of the chain, landing on the top step with a little wobble. However, as he did so, the lamp started speeding up again. The two children watched on, knowing what that meant.

  "Looks like I need to hold on while you grab the lens," Harry said. Six frowned, knowing he was right. There was no other way to do it. Nothing they could use as a weight or as a rope.

  "Looks like it," she replied. If she wasn't fast enough or Harry not strong enough, the lamp would begin to spin again, sending her flying from the disk. She would need the ladder as well, meaning Harry would be dangling several feet in the air. Falling wouldn't kill him, but it wouldn't be pleasant either.

  "You sure you want to do this?" Harry asked, looking down at his friend. This would put her in the most danger if something went wrong.

  "No choice. We need the lens," she stated firmly. Sighing, but knowing she was right, Harry prepared to do his part.

  "Ready?" he called down.

  "Ready," she replied, hand already on the ladder. As soon as Harry jumped and grabbed the handle, she was pushing the ladder towards the decelerating lamp. It took nearly thirty seconds for it to stop completely and Harry felt every single one of them. The only good news was that with his arms extending, they weren't cramping up anymore.

  Six growled with frustration as the lamp stopped, facing the opposite direction. Looks like their luck was taking a turn for the worse now. Dragging the ladder as quickly as she could without risking it falling over, she placed it right in front of the lamp, whose light had diminished to a dull glow.

  Which was good, because if it was still as bright as normal, Six would have found herself blinded. Quickly making her way up the ladder, each step screaming profanity at her, she stared at the gaping entrance of the disk.

  Looking towards her dangling companion, she saw him struggling to keep his hold. Acting fast, she jumped into the disk, which had little ridges inside, allowing her to keep a steady hold.

  Once inside, she moved towards the lens, seeing that it was held in with a pair of metal tongs. Now, if she needed something else to get this stupid thing down, she was not going to be happy.

  Thankfully, she didn't. While the pieces holding it in were stiff, she was able to force them open and grab hold of her prize. Looking at it, she couldn't stop the swell of triumph bubbling beneath her breast. This was it. With this, they could continue forward.

  Now, she just needed to get down. However, as she made her way back to the edge, the lamp gave a sudden jerk before it started moving again. The light behind her, now completely white, began getting brighter as well.

  As the lamp spun, she saw Harry, laying on the ground. He was moving, which was good, but he looked to be in pain, which was bad. She needed to get out of this thing before it got too fast and get to her friend.

  Placing the lens in her coat pocket, or should she say, Harry's, she prepared to make a jump. She watched as the ladder came and went. One pass, two passes, three passes… knowing how much it was speeding up with each go round allowed her to time the jump perfectly.

  On the fourth pass, she leapt from the disk, grabbing the ladder which promptly tilted and fell over. Before it could hit the ground, she hopped off, hitting the ground fairly hard but suffering no serious injury.

  Rising to her feet, she raced towards her companion as fast as she could.

  "Hairy, are you alright?" she asked, kneeling beside him. His face was set in a grimace as he opened his clenched eyes to look at her.

  "I'm alive. Pretty sure I sprained my ankle though," he informed her. Six frowned. While certainly not the worst injury in the world, it would certainly hamper their return descent.

  "Are you sure? Here, let me see," she said, moving to check his foot. Harry hissed as she touched it, noting the slight swelling and darkening of it. She wasn't exactly a doctor, but it didn't feel broken to her. That didn't mean she could tell if it was truly sprained or not.

  "It's swollen. Guess we'll just have to rest for a bit before leaving," she said. In the darkest, blackest corner of her mind, a small voice whispered she should leave him. That he was dead weight now. If she tried to help him, she would surely perish.

  Six ignored those tainted whispers.

  "Sorry," he said, feeling guilty about the whole thing. Six shook her head.

  "Don't be. I couldn't have gotten this without you," she said, holding up the lens for him to see. Like the red one before it, it was completely smooth and made of glass. Harry nodded, happy they succeeded in that endeavor at the very least.

  The two fell into comfortable silence, watching the storm outside as it painted the sky with spiderwebs of light. Six eventually located some cloth, one that wasn't green when it was supposed to be white. Using a small piece of metal she scrounged up, she cut out strips and used them to try and wrap his ankle up.

  She wasn't very well versed in first aid, but she knew a few basics, having been taught by other kids. Keeping his ankle stiff should help him move and prevent him from further injury.

  That was the theory at least.

  After about thirty minutes or so, they decided it was time to move on. Harry managed to place his weight on his ankle without toppling over, though he did walk with a pronounced limp.

  But neither of them wanted to wait any longer. The ladder back into the vent was troublesome and took Harry some time to descend, but he managed. The vent was slightly easier on him, since he didn't have to put any weight on his ankle.

  Once they were out and back in the main tower, that posed a bigger problem. The stairs were so big he would have to drop down on each step. And there were dozens of them. This was going to be a long, painful trip, but as long as they were quiet, they should be fine with taking their time.

  As Harry made his first drop, he did his best to land on his good leg. He was only partially successful, holding back the yelp of pain. One down, just over a hundred more to go.

  Six did her best to aid him as they made their way back to the entrance. It helped, but it was still slow. It made her feel antsy. Still, despite the sedate pace they were traveling at, everything was going pretty well.

  Too well.

  By the time they reached the second floor, there was a massive rumble and the lighthouse gave a violent shudder. The two stopped and stared, fearing the building was about to collapse.

  But it didn't. The trembling ceased after a few short moments, but their worries were only just beginning. Not long after the shaking stopped the lights flickered once, twice, and then died out, leaving the pair in total darkness.

  "Great just what we needed," Harry grumbled, as Six reached into her pocket and pulled out her lighter. Flicking it on, she looked into the irritated face of one Harry James Potter, leaning against the large step as he kept the weight off his bad leg.

  But Six wasn't paying much attention to that, looking up towards the fifth floor where the Resident slumbered away. Seeing where she was looking, Harry got a pretty good idea of what had her worried.

  "You don't think that woke him up, do you?" Harry asked, trying not to just how scared that made him feel.

  "Probably. It was pretty loud, and the whole tower shook. I'd be more surprised if it didn't," she responded. Unfortunately, her hypothesis proved true, as the loud squeak of a door opening pierced the air, followed by a familiar light.

  They knew what that meant.

  The Lighthouse Keeper was feeling particularly grumpy at the moment. There he was, enjoying a well deserved nap, when a bolt of lightning struck his home and knocked off that annoying cymbal monkey. It kept banging away with that smarmy grin on his face, seemingly enjoying being a nuisance.

  With nothing better to do he grabbed his lantern and left the room, planning to inspect the lighthouse to ensure it wasn't damaged and that no more pests made their way inside. It was his job after all, to keep the lighthouse going.

  Looking over the railing, he saw a peculiar sight. A little orb of light moving down the stairs. That shouldn't be there. It didn't belong. It would need to be gotten rid of. Taking a thumping step forward, he began his own descent, ready to perform his duty and cleanse the tower of taint.

  But what neither he nor the kids knew was the true horror the darkness brought. From inside his bathroom, the toilet bowl began to rattle violently, barely staying on top. That wouldn't last though, as before too long the lid exploded off with a horde of ravenous insects spewing forth, ready to devour anything in sight.

  They were the reason the toilet bowl was so clean, consuming even waste produced by the Resident.

  Seeing the light, the two children began a mad dash towards the exit. Or at least the first floor, where they could find somewhere to hide. Six wished she could snuff out her light, but without it, they would almost certainly fall to their deaths.

  Harry let out a gasp of pain as he landed on the next step down. Agony shot through his being, but he didn't let that slow him down. He couldn't. He had to live, not for himself, but for the person next to him.

  Part of him wanted to shout at her to leave him, but after the chewing out he received for the painting incident, he felt that would be unwise. An angry Six was a scary Six, and he had plenty enough to be afraid of without adding her to the list.

  They were about halfway to the first floor when they heard a chilling sound. It was an awful, familiar sound that elicited a primal fear within them. It was the sound of millions upon millions of bugs scurrying around searching for food.

  That's when they realized the true danger they were in. With the lights out, the photophobic insects had free reign of the establishment. And with no way to turn the power back on, they were sitting ducks.

  They could no longer aim for just the first floor. They would have to escape, or they would be eaten alive.

  The Lighthouse Keeper must have heard it too, because he turned around, pointing his light towards the sound. The two at the bottom couldn't see much, but they could hear it, even if they wished they couldn't.

  The bugs burst out of his room and the kitchen. His light turned many of them to stone, but it wasn't long before the sheer numbers of the horde overwhelmed him. His entire body was covered by the biting insects. He screamed as they ripped chunks of his flesh from his body.

  Then they burrowed inside of him, searching for the tender, gooey parts of his being. This caused him to stumble and fall backwards. The light he carried, his one, true, treasured possession, fell from his grasp, tumbling down to the bottom floor where it shattered.

  His neck bulged as a few of the demonic creatures burst out from it. They immediately moved to his eyes and continued their feast. He clawed desperately at the glass cage his head was trapped in but it was to no avail, his hands leaving bloody streaks across it.

  The Lighthouse Keeper died in sheer, utter agony.

  Harry and Six, who heard this happen, stood rooted to the spot. They just couldn't find it in them to move, fear gripping them like a vice. That is, until they heard the lantern, the one they dreaded being in the crosshairs of, shatter below them.

  Snapping out of their trance, they shared a look, the same thought being shared without a single word.

  "Run!"

  So that's what they did. Adrenaline coursed through their veins, spurring them to move ever faster. The pain in Harry's leg was no more than a dull ache at the moment, something to be ignored. They reached the first floor, running past the room where they first met the now deceased Lighthouse Keeper when the insects finished their meal.

  But they were still hungry. Still famished. They needed more! Some of the swarm noticed the light below them and clacked their drooling mandibles together in excitement. More meat! More flesh! More food!

  As if a signal went off, they raced down the tower, eager to consume what they hoped would be soft, supple flesh.

  The hairs on the back of Harry and Six's neck stood on end. They knew, on an instinctive level, they were being chased. That part of the human psyche they did their best to get rid of, the animal they tried to hide screamed at them.

  "Faster! Faster! Or you'll be next!"

  Listening to that part of themselves, they did their best to move as quick as their bodies would go. But their bodies were tired. Their bodies were small and weak and the world was so big, how could they ever escape the clutches of death that fast approached?

  Harry wished he could use his magic to do something, but he couldn't think of anything. And even if he could, would he have the time to act? No, he wouldn't. All he could do, all THEY could do, was run for their lives.

  They were almost to the bottom when they heard something, multiple something's in fact, splatter against the ground around them. They could see through the dim, flickering light, the twitching remains of bugs too eager to be the first to take a bite. Now, they would be the ones eaten instead. The warm did not waste food, even if that food was of their own flesh.

  Harry and Six leapt towards the bottom, stumbling as their exhausted bodies did their best to keep up with the demand. The bugs were so close now they could practically feel them nipping at their heels.

  A few of them actually managed to get close enough to try, leaping at them with great enthusiasm. But Harry used his flashlight as a club and battered them away. He knew he kept this thing for a reason.

  But salvation was in sight. The Painting, the one they had entered from, glowed softly on the far wall, beckoning them forwards with the promise of safety. It was a false promise to be sure, and felt like they were making a deal with the devil but still, the sight of it still gave them the extra oomph necessary to cross the gap.

  No words were said as they hit the painting, feeling themselves surrounded by the familiar sensation of cold honey wrapping around them. They could hear the angry hisses of the swarm as they escaped.

  They would have to find their meal somewhere else.

  As Six and Harry were punted out the other side, they hit the ground, breath coming out in desperate wheezes. Even Six, who had far more stamina than Harry felt her lungs burn from the effort she put in.

  But it was all worth it. They made it out of there, alive, and that's all that mattered.

  "Um, Six?" came Harry's panicked, gasping question. Turning to look at the boy, she saw him pointing at the painting, which looked like it was bulging outward. Eyes widening at the sight, she realized the bugs weren't ready to give up on their meal quite so easily.

  Thinking fast, Six realized what she needed to do. Jumping to her feet, she stumbled as her body protested the motion. It thought they were safe and so the adrenaline high was winding down. But too bad for it, they weren't out of the woods just yet.

  Running towards the device in the center of the room, the twisted and winding thing producing the light, she quickly grabbed the lever, the one that controlled the strips of warped wood and metal, and gave it a pull. She didn't care how it moved, just as long as the light stopped shining on the painting. If she was right, that should close the pathway.

  And if she was wrong… best not to think about that.

  Just as the head of the first bug started poking through, writhing in excitement at the sight of him, the red beam of light shooting out of the angel's eyes ceased, and the portal slammed shut, trapping the bugs still inside.

  Harry watched as they continued to squirm, trying to get out but were unable to. It had to be the worst piece of art he's ever seen. He then watched as the few that nearly made it through scream in pain as their brethren devoured them from the other side.

  They stopped moving altogether after that.

  Harry collapsed onto his back, relief flooding his system like a drug. That was close. Too close. But they made it.

  Looking back, he saw Six in a similar state, sitting on the floor with her back pressed against the base of the thingy. She was clearly just as exhausted as he was.

  Now, they just needed to see where the new lens would take them. But maybe that could wait for a little while…