"Mind Of Their Own"

Chapter 5 - Run (rushed btw💀)

Nightmare panted as he ran, feeling the wind of an arrow fly by his head.

He had bolted for it the second the door was opened, shoving whoever it was. He didn't care. He could hear yelling and heavy footsteps behind him. Dream, Ink, and Blue. He pushed harder against the ground. He had littler legs now, and he felt lost without his goop.

Why did he ever think this was a good idea?

He could see a looming forest up ahead. He always did better in forests, his eyes adjusted to darkness more quickly than most people. He was also smaller now, which meant easier gaps and holes to get through.

He knew Ink was almost as small as him, and therefore could aswell, but Nightmare would be running around blind far more less than Ink. Ink's eyes wouldn't adjust as well as Nightmare's.

That was his hope.

And by god, it was dangerous.

Nightmare dove into the bushes, rolling down an unexpected slope. He curled up before his head could hit a sharp stone. Shit-- that was close.. he thought with a small hiss.

He quickly got to his feet and began running, the shapes of the trees and undergrowth becoming clearer by the seconds. He grinned as he heard the footsteps behind him get a bit more distant, yet one set of footsteps only got closer. Ink's. Just what Nightmare wanted.

Nightmare jumped over a root and climbed over a large boulder, sliding down the side abruptly. He rolled slightly and slid under a large, gnarled root. He staggered back to his feet and panted.

Adrenaline was rushing through him and he felt his confidence begin to rise with each step.

He muffled a yelp as he fell down a sudden slope, kicking up dust and dirt in his wake. He suddenly splashed into a river and he gasped for breath the last second. He then ducked under the water, holding his breath.

He looked up slightly. Ink was just coming to a halt at the top of the slope, glaring and eyeing the water below. Nightmare tried to be as still as possible. And after a while, Ink hesitated, then walked away.

Nightmare waited a bit longer, until he was fighting back panic. He then broke surface and gasped. He swam to shore, wading through the shallows.

He edged pnto the grass and under the undergrowth to hide then sighed, laying down.

He felt exhaustion and hunger tugging at him, and he wished he could fall asleep, but he knew he couldn't.

He got up a few minutes later and began walking through the forest again. Occasionally he'd stop to rest.

He knew he wouldn't die to hunger, but he couldn't last more than a month. He knew that. So he had to travel as much as possible and perhaps summon Error.

Nightmare knew how, and every day pain started to tug at him more and more. Which meant his goop was ready to come back soon.

One night, though, he blacked out. He had been, what, gathering berries? Just for a small snack to hopefully extend his time before starvation?

He thinks so. But next thing he knew, no matter what he was doing, everything was suddenly black.