Sleepy Buddies [REWRITE] //Dreambur

Chapter 19- The Calm Before the Storm

Word Count- 3943

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"Run this by me one more time," Nightmare said, wishing he could massage his temples. A stress headache was building and the words on the page blurred in and out of focus as his eyes jumped from report to report. Corpse pulled a few things towards him, looking over them.

"Okay, so the general plan is that you guys are going to break into one prison each and release everyone who has been wrongly imprisoned." Corpse nodded at the shiny silver binder that was bursting with papers. "So then, when everyone else does the 'fake break' at Pandora, it'll be in line and normal and whatnot. And during that distraction, you and Ranboo will break into the White House as waiters. Then you find Schlatt and kill him. Easy."

Nightmare hummed to himself, eyes raking over diagrams and mugshots and case files and plans. The entire glass table was covered in paper, laid overtop one another like the skinniest game of jenga ever. He nodded, then stood up. It didn't sound too complicated, but that wasn't including the prison breaks or any of the finer details.

"Well, I'll meet with you in a few days to talk about the first prison break. Does Tuesday work?"

"Yep, see you then. Do you have any plans for tonight?"

"Yeah, we're going to see the trident games. You gonna be there?"

"Nah, but I'm probably gonna get tickets for the Ace Race next week. I know someone who would love to see them."

Nightmare nodded again, waved, and let himself out of the room. He was met with the barren hallways of an abandoned office building, repurposed for these sorts of planning nights. He waved to Tina as he passed, watching her face light up in recognition.

"Hey, wait!"

Nightmare turned back around as Tina ran towards him.

"Yes?"

"I have an update," she said with a bright smile. Nightmare nodded at her to go on.

Tina was a receptionist for Quackity's only legal casino, and often heard more than she should. Quackity paid her well to keep quiet. But that was for news sources and friends, not the Sleepy Boys and their associates. She relayed information of a new guard checkpoint at the White house, two new fighting rings opening underground (Techno wouldn't be happy), and a new gang who ambushed some police officers and kidnapped them.

"Thanks Tina," Nightmare said, smiling behind the mask. "I'll pass this along."

"Any time Nightmare, it's always a pleasure speaking to you."

Nightmare waved again and left, buzzing with energy. As important as the meetings were, sitting still was not something he could accomplish well. And now, being outside, he felt the boredom leak out of him. He mounted the black and green motorcycle, not bothering with a helmet.

He revved the beauty, the roar of machinery filling his ears and raising his spirits. He could enjoy his time in the moonlight instead of tucked away in a dusty corner of Dream's mind, rotting like old fruit. He felt Dream recoil at the comparison and smirked at the vicious streak of pride he felt. Nights like tonight made him really appreciate life.

He merged into traffic, purposefully swerving in front of speeding vehicles and getting middle fingers and horns. He relished in the chaos, weaving between cars and trucks and running a few red lights. It was a stolen bike, what did it matter?

He got home faster than he would have hoped, the rumbling engine most likely alerting the occupants inside. He turned the motorcycle off, sighing sadly as the rumbling faded. He let himself into the house, feeling melancholy seep in. He didn't want to take the mask off, didn't want to leave. What would happen if-?