Slave To Torment

For Their Sakes

After Ink left his child's room, he went back into the kitchen feeling...off... Though yes PJ had a nightmare, he wasn't a kid that would think up people because of it, especially ones that'd scare him... Everything about it seemed off in an odd kind of way...
"Hey Dream"
"Hm?.."
Dream looked up at Ink from his chair, his dark circled eyes due to his tears being the most noticeable thing.
"I'm going to bring some food to Horror and Dust."
"Alright..."
"And I told PJ he could come see me in there if he wanted to, so if he starts going over-"
"I won't stop him..."
Hearing how miserable Dream was, Ink felt sad...horrible for him even. He walked closer, cupping both of Dream's cheeks and leaning their foreheads together. Dream was confused at first, but slowly he began enjoying the action.
"You'll be alright Dream..."
Dream put his hands over Ink's and smiled
"I know...I know..."
"Good..."
Dream appeared to be trying to get more for a moment, but was to late... Ink pulling away before Dream could.
"I'll see you later, ok?"
"Ok...bye..."
Ink smiled before leaving to go and see their guests. Dream sighed, and for some reason that made Blue chuckle.
"What is it?"
Dream questioned with a rather annoyed huff
"Oh nothing, just glad to see you being happy like that so soon."
Blue answered, as he started to put breakfast away and clean the kitchen.
"Like what? How am I-"
"Don't worry you'll see"
Blue knew how that open ended statement would sit with Dream, and it definitely wouldn't be well. This less suspicion and more fact was proven rather quickly when Dream began to badger Blue for more details as to what the mysterious 'That' was.
As that admittedly pointless one sided conversation continued, Ink stood in front of the door to the guest bedroom, and had been doing so for maybe a couple of minutes now. The reason he didn't enter was because he was debating something, like whether or not he should open another door to the past for his benefit like Dream did... But...it wasn't just for him... As much as he wanted to stop his mind from creating scary and unnaturally horrifying thoughts...he couldn't...because all those thoughts and terrible images all circled around his children...the children he loved...so very much... So much so that the man PJ saw was enough to get him nervous, about nightmares, about visions...but why visions?..there had never been visions in his life- No never...right?..
It didn't matter, because even if there had been it wouldn't change his decision, to act before things got out of hand, or it became to late to do something that had to be done... So he pressed on, already prepared and loaded full of questions he was ready and going to ask.
"Um hello, Dust, Horror"
"Oh hi Ink"
Horror waved to the creator happily, Dust not saying anything but doing the same with Horror cuddled into his arms.
"You both seem comfy, I'm sorry to interrupt"
"It's alright, I know Horror doesn't mind so I don't either."
"Oh good"
Walking up to the two, Ink offered them some food.
"Thought you guys would be hungry, so I got you food like I said I would."
"You've helped us enough but still thank you"
"Don't mention it Horror, you've been through a lot."
"As I've heard"
Ink couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly as Dust handed Horror his food. When they ate Ink was silent, once again debating the thing he was about to ask. But when he was again debating this, Horror looked up at him and started to speak first.
"Someone you want to ask about? Not Cross I would presume, but someone?"
"Oh- Well yes- But I don't want to rush you, if talking about Cross was to much for today then I-"
"I'm alright, we're gone and telling you what happened is just speaking words now... Though yes I don't enjoy bringing it up it doesn't bother me for to long."
"You insist?.."
"Mhm!"
"Well ok..."
Ink hesitantly went ahead and sat down on the foot of the bed.
"I was just going to ask about Error, for the kids you know...and maybe this will circle back to him... But that's not important now... I..."
"Go on..."
"...I was holding PJ, he said he wanted to tell me something in his room so I was going to bring him there...when he insisted he saw a man...from the nightmare he had that night...the one he was so nervous about that he wanted to talk about it in his room..."
"A nightmare? And a man... Hmhm...if it was any other day before everything happen I would just chop up it to a child being a child... But I'm not that naive..."
"What are you saying?"
"I don't know... PJ might've just had a bad, bad nightmare, or the negative Nightmare magic we brought could've caused it...or...you know..."
"I...ya... But do you think that they'd really go through my kids to get to me..."
"Even if they would it probably wasn't you they were after... But I don't think they'd do that in the first place, for them it seems petty, even cowardly compared to what they've done in the past..."
"It'd be easy to see it that way, huh?"
Horror could see how worried Ink was for his kids, and it was a very understandable worry for him to have... But really? Would they go through those kids to get to him, to Dust, to Ink?.. He hadn't a clue, and that was scary...
"Though sadly I can't give an answer for that... I can tell you about Error... If these dreams were Nightmare's doing then he might've used Error, or at least the image of him, in them."
"But why? It's not like they know him, it wouldn't do anything very beneficial..."
"I wish I could say they would do things like that for no reason, but if PJ did see Error then Nightmare would've had a reason to have him there. Did PJ ever say anything, or describe anyone from that dream?"
"No...he said there was a man...and that it was the one in his dream... But that's it..."
"And the fact that he didn't tell you who it
was-"
"Is terrifying... But anyways...you said you would tell me about Error?.."
Though yes Horror in fact said he would do that, he now seemed more reluctant to... He didn't want Ink paranoid, or distressed like Dream was... But then again not telling him would be just as bad...
"...Yes...yes I did..."
"Ok...and thank you for that..."
"It's not what you came in here wanting to know...but you're welcome..."
Horror began to think of what happened to him again and must've spoke as he did so...
This time...it was what Error did to him... Error...Error was different... He wasn't like the others, he was an Haphephobiac, flinching and jolting at the slightest touches to any part of his body that he didn't initiate or intend, which made him rather odd... I mean sure he would poke and prod at me nervously on occasion, but really there wasn't much he did or wanted to do to me at first...until he found something appealing about having a living rag doll, more than just his normal ones. Speaking of those I would go past his normally vacant room to see those things...just hanging there...watching... It was creepy in that sense and at that time, but after a while I would grow used to those- jUdgginG- empty, unassuming button eyes...
The first thing I remember him doing, was bringing me into his room...and locking me in there. I think this might've been how I developed some sort anxiety towards dolls...but I knew that wasn't the point of these fun trips of ours...or better phrased mine...I knew the point of this was to make me feel alone...like he did when he first came to... Surrounded by creature's that feared him and wouldn't helped him...the anomalies that deserved to be destroyed... At least they did in his eyes... That was the first thing I remember happening, and at the time when it did it was actually more of a break than a form of torture, though yes it was definitely very creepy... A specific time I remembered this happening was winter a few years ago, I had just finished cleaning around the house when Error asked to see me...and what happened next was so strange...
I thought that the normal would happen, I would get locked in his room and he'd be out side it doing something for a random amount of time before letting me out... But no...he instead brought me in his room, closed the door, turned on the lights and sat me down on his bed, him then sitting next to me... We sat there for a second, a minute, maybe more...just staring at the wall in front of us...
"...I know...this...all of this...isn't right..."
The room fell silent again after Error said that, me quick to say something but not quick enough to not make this in some way less awkward.
"What do you mean?..."
"What's happening...why it's happening... I know this isn't right...what they do to you...the weird shit I put you through... It's all so wrong..."
The way Error said wrong seemed weird...like he wasn't directing the word wrong at me and everything that was happening...but like something was off...and was just wrong...
"You know why they're all doing this? So suddenly and out of the blue?.. Why I am..."
"It's been more than a few years, it isn't really-"
"It is...I'm afraid I've made a mistake... And that mistake has cost you a great deal more than it was meant to..."
"Why say that?.."
I heard a dark chuckle escape Error's lips, then a shallow sigh.
"That first day...I was asked to hang you up like one of my dolls...I didn't think anything of it...until I heard Dust find you...how worried he was... My strings had even left marks on you..."
"...Did you not mean for them to?.."
"Ya...they weren't meant to hurt you...but you struggled and well..."
Error looked at the ground, at himself, and at the few things scattered around his room.
"Those intentions, my okness with stringing you up...they...I want to say they weren't my own, but that would be a lie... But if I said it more like this..."
I was confused, so I turned to look at Error just to gasp and fall back onto the bed I was on. I had been startled been the creepy gaze the was much to close to me, but was now rather far away from my position on the bed.
"If I knew what was wrong then, I would know what was wrong now... But no...not anymore...I can not...this feeds him...pleases him...so he let's his magic run wild around everyone in this castle now, leaving no regard as to who it might've hurt the most..."
I was scared now, and tried to get up when he was pushed back down onto the bed, strings now slowly starting to creep up my body. Everything Error was starting to say was nonsense, I knew that...he would go off like this sometimes but never to this extreme...never like this...
"Do you know how hard and pathetic it is to know what you're doing is wrong but not be able to stop it? To end it before it gets out of hand- Bite the hand that feeds you so he'll let go of his leash that is strangling you!?- No...of course not...because for some reason, when all the dogs are let of their leashes into their backyard cage, they find them selves a little rabbit they all want to play with, one that is scared and helpless, and easy to torment...and as they all play this game with this creature, the leader, the boss, the trainer- The Controller- the owner or who ever the fuck you wanna call that piece of shit watch's, laughs, and hell even sometimes joins in on the fun just to get all the shits and giggles he needs to get through the day before calling the heard back and leaving the rabbit beaten and bloody..."
It was almost like a switch had flipped and all of the sudden the cool, calm and collect skeleton known as Error disappeared, and something else wearing his face looked like him... I want to say that was true...that it was all Nightmare...hnhm...but that'd be far from the truth...
I watched helplessly as Error got closer to me, flinched aimlessly as strings crawled there way through the gaps of bones and tightened slowly, bring my arms to my sides, my feet together, and my head to the mattress I had fell back on... I knew Error wasn't going to do what they do to me...but oho did I underestimate what he would do to me...
"...Now tell me something Horror..."
With scared eyes I slowly looked up Error, who by now had his bright yellow eyes staring daggers into me, and his smile shaking with just as much craze.
"Who do you think that little helpless rabbit is?~"
The moment he said that the lights went out and loud Snaps and Cracks rang through out the room... He healed me and did that a few more times afterwards before letting go... That was the second thing he did to me...that becoming the near single and only thing he did to me... That day in particular stuck with me though, it involved a lot of blaming and revealing about things I hadn't known about or chose not to think about... I knew Nightmare was feeding off of my pain, but I still doubt that his magic made them start doing those things to me... Error never played the blame game well, and yet he seemed genuine about something's...but definitely not all... I didn't want to think that Nightmare had influenced them... But I feel like if he was trying to feed off of my pain the way Error was proposing then he would've made Dust my primary tormenter, instead of my only care giver... Unless that was just a ploy to get more sadness through Dust and me...I...I don't know... I want to say that I do, or that I always have but that'd be a lie...a big horrible-
"Horror..."
Horror's train of thought came to a sudden halt when Dust said his name and started rubbing his cheek.
"Hm?"
"Nightmare never influenced them...he told me as much when I asked...and called me stupid for asking..."
"He actually said that?.."
"He never liked pointless rumors, especially if they some how made it to you and ruined the 'experience'..."
"Sounds like him..."
"But so do those other things..."
Ink hesitantly murmured
"I mean doesn't it seem like him?.."
"It does...and he could've lied to Dust...but I doubt it, I didn't feel enough negative energy you know?.."
"I guess...and hey Error needs that justification for what he's doing sometimes, like the one he had when he first started with the AU's..."
"Seems petty..."
"Oh he can be, trust me..."
Unlike Dream, Ink didn't seem satisfied with the statement he had gotten about Error.
"Hey Horror..."
"Ya?.."
"I know I only wanted to ask about Error... But...I need you to tell me about Nightmare, if he's doing this I need to know what to expect, or know how horrible of a man he has become..."
"You sure you wanna know about that?.."
"...I don't care how nervous this makes me, or how scared I get for my kids, I have to know..."
"Ok...here we go then..."