The Horror Saga - I̵̦̓S̸̙͊ ̷̟̇T̵̰́H̵̅͜Í̶̖S̷̢͛ ̶̩̃T̷͔̽H̴̙͗É̸͖ ̴̰̕E̵̹͐Ṋ̶̒D̸̺̀?̴̨͑

Chapter 2

Void turns to Rainbow and Nightmare, who once more give him warm smiles.

"Do either of you know what he means or what he did?" Void asks, confusion coming out in humour.

"He's not from this world, he has the ability of coming back to life," Rainbow explains. "He just, leant that power to you. Brought you back with him."

"Right," Void laughs, however the sound is cut short when the ground above them is ripped up to reveal the light from the sun. Cobble rains down on the Steves and they wave and cough away dust. When it all settles, they all glance up, gasping in horror as they notice Alex hovering in the air.

"You all thought you could run from me?" She questions, crushing the layers of dirt and stone into that of a large mound of dust. "There is nothing you can do. Y̶͈̔ô̸̞û̵̱r̵̼̂ ̸̖̒f̷̡̎ṙ̶͜ȉ̵̮e̶̢̐n̵̢̽d̷̼̀s̸͚̾ ̷͖̓à̸̬r̴̦̓ẹ̵̅ ̷̗̉ĝ̵͚ō̸̖n̵̰̒e̸͚͛ ̴̢̏a̵̱͝n̸̺͂d̶̜́ ̴̧͝y̸̗͊ȍ̸͙u̴̦͝'̶̩̈́r̴̦͌e̸̖̅ ̶͙̄ä̴̧́l̷̺͗l̸̪͊ ̴̳͋t̷͚́ŕ̵̗a̷̫͌p̷̳̔p̵̦͗e̸̢͝d̷͖̒ ̵͚͋ḫ̴̉è̵̗r̷͉̀e̶̥͛ ̶̞̊w̵͚͘ḯ̸̜ṭ̶͑h̷̢͘ ̵̧̀m̶̲̔ȩ̶̃."

"Get Rainbow out of here," Void instructs to Nightmare, before jumping and hovering a few blocks off the ground. "I'll hold her off."

"Void, are you sure?" Nightmare questions, grabbing onto Void's wrist.

"Yes, Nightmare. Get you both away and safe. Now." Nightmare nods, before releasing Void and teleporting. Void flies up to meet Alex, feeling her energy flowing at dangerous levels.

"As I said, Void Steve," Alex spits. "You. Underestimate. Me."

"I'll be wise to not make that mistake again." Void replies, before summoning a large ball of his energy and throwing it at his enemy. She takes the hit however it barely does her damage; her returning attack sends Void into the grass beside the hole she created.

~~~~~

Nightmare and Rainbow are surrounded the instant they appear, frightened Steves talking rapidly over each other as they try and explain the recent events that scarred their minds.

"Steves, everyone, relax!" Nightmare instructs, managing to silence them all. "I am aware of the danger that Alex is. Right now, we are in no shape to try and fight her, we all need to retreat to a safe place that Alex cannot reach. I have somewhere, so don't worry."

"What about Void?!" Rainbow exclaims.

"I will return for him." Nightmare replies simply, before teleporting them all. The group land in an open field, which frightens a few, before Rainbow and Dark Steve both recognise the sky; instead of blue it's a darkened yellow, and the clouds are dark greys and blacks.

"The Nightmare Dimension?" Dark questions.

"No one can get in without my permission," Nightmare explains, as he begins to lead the Steves across the grass. "It's the safest place for us while we figure out how to deal with Alex."

"But... didn't Lucas come here without you making him?" Rainbow questions, recalling the first time he and his friends from Earth were sent here.

"Because they're both Players, Lucas was connected with Sabre, and I sent Sabre here, that's how Lucas arrived."

Nightmare takes the Steves over hills and through forests, answering the questions they all had about his dimension.

"Where are we going?" A Yellow Steve asks.

"I have a house in this dimension," Nightmare explains. "Well, I have a few, but the one we're going to is the biggest that isn't a castle, it's also one of the most secluded. If, by some unlucky fate, Alex does manage to break into the Nightmare Dimension, it would be quite difficult further for her to locate us."

The rest of the trip is walked in just more than silence - a few questions here and there, and a few mumbles of fear and anger - before a well-sized house appears from behind a thick wall of trees. The exterior is made from concrete and brick, and the windows are not glass but fences. The single dark oak door fits well in the wall design.

Nightmare leads the group inside, where a large room with a well-sized sofa and a few bookcases line the walls. There's an opening in the opposite wall that leads to a kitchen, and another on the right wall that leads into a hallway and other, smaller rooms and halls.

"You didn't build this on your own. There's no way." Reverse Steve states, glancing around the place.

"No, of course not," Nightmare replies, smirking. "I had a bunch of silverfish come build it for me." Reverse gives the king a glare, which is returned with a hearty laugh. "Please, everyone, make yourselves comfortable. Every room is available, try not to fight over the beds, there should be enough for everyone. Just sit tight, I'll be back shortly."

"Wait, Nightmare!" Positive calls, grabbing Nightmare's arm. "You're n-not going back to Alex, are you?"

"I have to, Void's with her trying to hold her at bay. I need to get him back here and away from her, he won't last." Positive gives him a worried look, however releases him grip and takes a step back. Negative wraps his arms around his twin, before Nightmare smiles and teleports back to the regular Overworld.

Void is barely holding up; his energy is low and he breathes heavily. He still pushes himself, unsure if the other Steves are safe or not and determined to keep Alex concentrated on him.

"You're weak, Void Steve," Alex tells him, teleporting closer and grabbing him firmly by the throat. "You don't have the power to defeat me."

"I- don't need- to..." Void tries to respond, once again feeling that sensation of almost total loss of air.

"Oh, oh that's right. You's using yourself as bait to keep your precious friends safe."

"He's not bait," Alex turns at the sound of Nightmare's voice, before throwing Void to the ground. "Nor is he weak."

"Save your petty words, Nightmare." Alex spits, however before she can land an attack on him, Nightmare teleports to the ground. He grabs Void under his arms and shoulders, before teleporting again to the Nightmare Dimension.

Alex screams in frustration, her eyes glowing brighter for a moment.

"JUST GIVE UP!"