Bad Things Never Die (Discontinued)

Chapter 19

Location: Outside Pogtopia

Y/N's POV

I had been avoiding sleep for longer than I'd like to admit. The nights were cold and lonely, the urge to shut my eyes becoming stronger by the minute, yet I sat and fought it. The dark empty void behind my eyelids reminded me too much of the place I'd called home for many months, trapped in the endless field filled with nothing but grey. I could still hear Will's distant rambling as he told me the plan once we escaped echoing in my head. It scared me to the point where I was no longer willing to close my eyes, each blink scaring the life out of me.

The sound of the leaves above me kept me awake as the strong wind pushed through them, howling as it fought against the thick branches. I was lying down on a rock not so far away from the entrance to Pogtopia, staring at the sky as it gradually got brighter. It was still quite dark out but I could hear birds chirping in the distance as the morning grew nearer. Dragging my hands along my face, I let out a sigh.

I wasn't really sure how I ended up outside or why I had stayed there, but part of me knew that I desperately needed to think things over, and I'd given myself time to do so. I was well aware of the fact that things would only get worse from then, especially with the sudden switch of emotions from Wilbur. I couldn't really see any point in staying.  There was so much more out there, so much more for me to see. I could finally do want I wanted. Closing my eyes and letting out yet another sigh, I tried to get more comfortable on the jagged rock, and that's when the feeling of an unexpected blade came to sit between my eyes, a little too close for comfort.

My eyes shot open but I didn't move from my position, not wanting to risk losing one of my eyes. Standing over me was a blond man decorated in all sorts of gold chains. For once he wasn't hiding behind a set of glowing netherite armour. Instead, he wore a white hoodie and jeans.

"Nice to see you too Punz."
My voice was dripping with sarcasm as I spoke, making it obvious that I wasn't in the mood for his shit.
"Didn't think I'd be seeing you anytime soon Y/N, I thought Tommy would've already slit your throat by now."
I let out a forced laugh before locking eyes with the man looking down at me. He was almost exactly how I remembered him, the only difference was that he didn't seem as menacing as he once did, even as he held an axe to my face. He seemed weaker, maybe even slightly scared.

"What's it to you anyways, we both know I'll end up dead sooner or later right? I mean there's no way I'll last more than a month. But then again, we also know death hasn't kept me at bay before, so who says it'll stop me this time hmm? I'm sure I wouldn't be gone for long, especially with Dream swooning over me like a teenager."
Punz stood for a moment before he withdrew his axe entirely. I looked at him, confused, but when he offered me his hand all I could do was blink up at him. Hesitantly I grabbed hold of it and he hoisted me to my feet. It didn't take me long to realise that he didn't intend to fuel my hatred for him, but instead wanted my help.

"You know where he is, don't you?"
I just looked at him knowingly as he already knew the answer without me having to say a word. Sometimes years of minimal communication made things easier. He just nodded his head slowly for a moment, thinking over what he was about to say next.
"I don't want to be talking to you as much as you don't want to be talking to me right now, however me and Dream have unfinished business. I need him to finish his end of the deal before I can do anything else."
I nodded my head to show I understood, leading to Punz continuing.

"But with you back in the picture, we both know Dream's going to be a lot more reluctant to come with me. So I have a proposition."
That piqued my interest, and I found myself wanting to know what he had in mind. Never in a million years had I imagined myself making a deal with Punz of all people, yet there I was considering it without him even mentioning his plan.