Stormfree (Dream SMP)

CH 1

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Anticipating your death isn't as terrifying as it sounds.

At least, not when you've been standing among a large group of sweaty men for at least three hours, packed so tightly that no one even cared if their ass or balls were accidentally touched. Dream had to admit that the novelty – the novelty in this case being fear and grief – kind of wore off after the fire that was supposed to kill him didn't start when it was supposed to. Well, at least they weren't all naked, right? He'd gotten used to the musky stench after about an hour, but the humidity was still kicking his ass; sweat beaded on his forehead beneath his mask, running down into his eyes and curling around his jaw. He muttered a half-hearted apology to the guys around him as he once again weaseled his arms up from where they'd been pinned at his sides to swipe the perspirant off his face. Everyone else was antsy too, shifting from one sore foot to the other, suffering the effects of standing in one spot for too long.

What the hell was with the holdup, anyway? Dream viciously cursed the wisp of hope that was beginning to unfurl at the back of his mind, saying, What if you don't have to die today? What if something went wrong and everyone in here could walk out the barred doors at any second? He feverishly shook his head, grunting in frustration. There was no way. These people were much too organized and cautious to let something go wrong. They'd probably leave them in that sweat-filled room for days – hell, weeks, even – before they decided it was convenient for them to murder everyone.

That logic was the exact reason Dream's heart nearly stopped when the alarm started blaring.

He muttered something unintelligible as the crowd suddenly began to move, sweeping him along. Not wanting to trip and get trampled, he planted his hands on the damp backs of the guys in front of him, head bowed to watch his footing. Once he'd gotten the hang of that weird little shuffle, he raised his chin and peered over the dozens of heads in front of him, spotting the wide-open doors that still seemed so far away. Yelling and screaming bombarded Dream's ears, a stark contrast to the muffled quiet just seconds earlier. He shoved down the excitement and anticipation rising in his chest, wondering if this was just some sort of cruel trick – break down the Defects, give them hope, then brutally slaughter them all. Honestly, he wouldn't put it past them.

But... what if it wasn't a trick?

His heart was pounding in his head, the mugginess and the clamor giving him a raging headache. He pushed out all thoughts of death because there was no way to get out of that damn crowd without being swept beneath a herd of desperate feet. Dream growled at how ridiculously slow they were moving and how long it was taking to get to the doors. He just wanted one gulp of fresh air. Just one.

He was still several yards away when the back end of the building abruptly exploded.
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Everyone was thrown to the ground, guys falling onto each other in such a way that it might've been funny in another, less grim situation. You know, like dominos.

Sapnap gasped as he was pushed down by the people behind him, in turn falling against whatever poor bastard was in front of him. A string of curses spun from his mouth as he kicked himself free and jumped to his feet, arms flying up to cover his head as he noticed the debris beginning to rain down from the ceiling. The foundation of the building shook and heaved as another, more distant explosion went off, the sound nearly drowned out by the chaos. The previously joyous screams had morphed into ones of terror, and upon turning around Sapnap noticed that the rear end of the building was now engulfed in flames. He realized with a pang that the unlucky bunch near the back were being burned alive, just like how everyone was supposed to go in the first place. Swallowing, he spun around and started to clamber over the writhing bodies that had yet to pick themselves off the ground.