Ends of the Earth [DNF]

Chapter 6: The Surface

Morning arrived. The same routine as always. The alarm rang, they got ready, put on their uniforms, and headed to the dining area. They quickly ate their breakfast in silence. The fact that they're going to the surface was both thrilling and scary.

Afterwards it was time to join the other Watchers that were also going on the same type mission. Backpacks filled with all sorts of potentially helpful stuff was handed out. A communication device were given to each of them. However, Dream didn't pay it much attention. They were divided into pairs, thankfully the two boys stayed together. Each pair was assigned an area and some guidelines. They were told to bring any findings back alive. They all gathered on the lift that was going to take them to the surface that slowly but surely became visible.

Dream was convinced that he'd never seen anything more beautiful. The cool breeze made him feel more alive than ever before. He couldn't help but smile. Freedom. And with that thought in mind, they started to make their way towards the forest.

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It took him an Sapnap about two days to reach their assigned spot. The forest was thick and made it hard to see far ahead. Dream thought that this new environment was one of the best things he'd ever encountered. The faint scent from the trees and plants combined with the sound of birds, made everything feel like a dream. Sapnap seemed just as stoked as himself. The pair explored their assigned area for five days but didn't find any signs of living beings.

The sleeping conditions wasn't the best. The climate was rather warm, which was nice, but the ground wasn't the most pleasant. Dream and sleep had always been an equation that didn't work out. Falling asleep wasn't that difficult, but remaining asleep during the entire night was near impossible. And the worst part? The night terror. Sleeping pills was, thankfully, a thing and had been Dream's salvation. It didn't completely get rid of the problem, but made it bearable. Bringing the pills with him had unfortunately slipped his mind. Besides, the idea of drugging yourself down in an unknown forest seemed rather stupid. But the hunt would hopefully not last forever.

The sun had started to set and the boys agreed to make up a fire and rest. They found a small place surrounded by thick trees. Sapnap grunted as he sat down on the ground and used one of the trees as backrest. Dream made a small fire to heat up some food. "How the fuck are we supposed to find these people?! They live in this forest; they'll most likely know every part of it." Sapnap exclaimed. The thought had struck Dream as well. "I guess, we'll just have to be persistent and try and find any sort of indication of life." "Whatever dude, I'll take a short nap. Wake me if you see anything."

Dream sighed and sat down, resting against a tree. He couldn't help but slightly envy the people that were allowed to live this freely. He watched the flames wrap around the logs and admired the peacefulness of the forest, that would show itself to be his greatest mistake. Somehow, the combination of the warmth from the fire and the calmness of the forest made his eyelids heavy causing him to slowly drift away.

When he woke up, he felt how his hands were tied behind his back. Panic started to set in. He tried to find Sapnap and saw that he was thankfully in the same spot, but his hands were also backbound. "Sapnap, wake the fuck up!" His friend awoke with a confused expression before he realized the same thing as Dream. Suddenly, three individuals appeared. At first it felt relieving, but when he saw their eyes the relief shifted to terror.