Dreaming of Demons (Dream x oc)

[17] Bad News

Printed text on page after page was becoming a blur to my eyes. I had a hard time focusing after spending hours in Karl's new library looking for any sort of information on the Blood Egg. I should have guessed that if Karl couldn't find anything, I wouldn't have any luck either.

The only thing I had found that was even close to what I was looking for was an old journal. The handwriting inside mentioned a tragedy that had happened at a large mansion. Red vines were found in the basement of the mansion and the people that had attended the party the night before had gone missing. It was an interesting case, and the missing people were never found. It was written off as some sort of supernatural occurrence and promptly forgotten. But I had an idea of what had really happened.

Besides that story, the journal mentioned nothing of how the Egg actually worked, so back to the shelf it went.

Karl's library was much bigger than the old one, and the building was designed to look like a giant, red mushroom. The area around the library was already being developed for more buildings and houses to promote a peaceful living space. Karl had already named the area Kinoko Kingdom, and he had told me all about the new home he was going to build. It sounded like a good place to live and I was already considering building my own place there. But that was for another time.

After I made sure I put all the books back in their correct spots on the shelves, I left the mushroom library to head back to the Greater SMP. My stride was slow as I mulled over what little I had found. It was frustrating how a couple hours of hopeful research had turned up with next to nothing. Maybe I would have to start working with other methods of research.

With nothing else to do for the day, I decided to check on the prison. I wouldn't be surprised if it was still on lockdown. Nothing could disappoint me further today.

As I walked on the Prime path, I raised my gaze to the tall, red hotel Tommy had been building. It looked finished, but I hadn't heard of anyone actually buying a room there. Being so close to the prison probably didn't help the appeal either.

Funny enough, people must have seen the area as ideal for hotels because another, smaller one was in the works next door to Tommy's. It looked a bit more cozy with a yellow exterior decorated by spruce logs, but I couldn't figure out who would have built it.

A figure appeared on the path in front of me, and I realized it was Sam. His gaze raised to mine and he stopped. Something flashed in his eyes before his expression turned dismal.

My brows ticked in as I came up to him, and I watched as he carefully put his trident over his back.

I didn't even have to ask anything. He just started speaking.

"Taryn—" He couldn't hold my gaze for long, and he looked away. "I'm not allowing anyone inside the prison from now on."

I tried to think of all the reasons why he would tell me this, but his expression left me at a loss.

"And Tommy?" I asked carefully.

Sam shook his head, getting a faraway look in his eyes as he stared off to the side. The silence dragged too long, and a knot started curling in my stomach. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly.

"He's dead."

I stared, and my brain replayed his words, trying to find where I misheard him. But Sam's dazed stillness only confirmed that I had, in fact, heard him correctly.

"What?" The word fell from my mouth, but I barely registered it.

Sam stayed quiet, and his expression hardened.

My gaze fell as the realization set in. Tommy was dead. Gone. And just like that, a thousand questions stirred up in my mind.

"How?" I whispered, trying to keep the horrible thoughts at bay. How could something like this happen?