Helium - A Dreamnotfound Fanfic

Subject Log #2: Shadows

Dream stepped back into the lab. 

"Oh, I wanted you to meet my research partner, Zak." Bad gestured to Zak leaning over some papers. 

Zak stood up and turned around. "Call me Skeppy. It's my code name. We usually go by code names here, but Bad has never told me his real name."

Bad frowned at Skeppy. "I'll tell you soon, it's just that I prefer Bad."

Skeppy chuckled. "Sure, sure. What's your real name, Dream?" 

Bad looked at Dream. Dream stuttered. "Um...I...I don't...know?"

Skeppy furrowed his eyebrows. "You don't...know your real name?"

Dream felt his heart beating faster. "I...don't remember. It's just Dream. That's all I remember."

Bad stepped forwards and grabbed Dream by the throat. "Tell me your name Dream. Or else we won't trust you here."

Bad lifted Dream up and squeezed his throat tighter. Dream tried to choke out a sentence. "B-Bad...please...let me...go..."

"Dream? Hello? Dream are you listening to me?"

Dream looked up at Bad. 

"Hey you're not looking too good. Do you need me and Skeppy to get you to the clinic?" Bad held Dream by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes. 

"No...I'm...I'm fine." Dream shook Bad off his shoulders and sat down at his desk. "Just show me what to do now."

Hours went by and Dream already had 5 logs completed. He was a fast learner, after all. 

"No wonder you're the top of the program. You got more done on your first day then me in a week." Skeppy scoffed at Dream's accomplishments.

Dream nodded. "Thanks. I prefer to have something to work with to get my mind distracted. Hey, do you know if there's a break room or something?"

Skeppy nodded. "Follow me."

Dream followed Skeppy out of the lab and down the hallway. They passed the containment room, where Dream tried to look into while he was walking. 

"So, do you only have three patients here?" Dream asked Skeppy. 

"No, there's plenty more. We have 6 more containment cells with two other patients. I'm assuming you've already seen the first three?"

Dream nodded silently. He then realized that Skeppy wasn't looking at him. "Oh, yeah. Bad showed me."

Skeppy chuckled. "Bad's funny. You think he's nice now, but wait until he lectures you for cursing." Skeppy leaned towards Dream and whispered, "You think he's not harmful? Wait until he throws knives at you."

Dream raised his eyebrows. "Throws kni- what?"

Skeppy opened a door. "Here's the break room. I've got to go, but I'll see you later." Skeppy walked away hurriedly. 

Dream sighed and walked into the small room. There was only a couch, a coffee table, a box of donuts on the coffee table, and a small coffee making machine. 

Dream shrugged and grabbed a maple donut. 

"This place is boring, right?"

Dream jumped out of his seat and looked around. "Hello? Who said that?"

A tall man with black sunglasses stepped out of the shadows. "I'm here. Call me Eret."

Dream looked at Eret baffled. "Who are you- how did you...?

Eret chuckled. It was a deep laugh, half evil-like and half comforting. "You're probably new here. Which most people are, considering this place is so new."

Dream nodded. "My name's Dream. Nice to meet...you."

Dream held his hand out to shake. Eret stayed still. "I was here the whole time. I was just in the shadows."

Dream gave Eret a confused look. Eret sighed. "Watch."

He pushed himself back into the dark lighting of the room, disappearing completely. Dream watched as Eret faded back into sight.

"I can hide in the shadows. And teleport in them anywhere too." Eret leaned against the wall and sighed.

Dream took a bite of his maple donut. "Aren't you a subject? Aren't you supposed to be in one of those glass rooms?"

Eret smiled. "All the new people think that. No, I work here. Some employees here have been affected by a subject, causing them to gain new abilites. Like me."

Dream nodded slowly. "Okay. Well, what did you get affected by?"

Eret's expression darkened. "A long gone subject. That's it."

Dream gave him a fake smile. "Oh, okay." Oh, come on now, Dream thought.

Dream stood up and brushed the flakes of maple glaze off his pants. "Well, I better get going. Nice meeting you."

Eret nodded. "See you later." He faded back into the shadows. 

Dream scoffed and headed out the door. That guy's weird.