Criminal (Discontinued)

Drop

Dream half power walked half jogged back home, well aware that if he'd left any later he'd be sure to miss all dinner leftovers.

D: I'm coming home don't you dare eat all the dinner

B: Don't worry there's still three tacos left. I'll make sure Ink doesn't eat them

I: Rude

D: Ok thx Blue

Dream put his phone in his pocket and walked more calmly as he began walking across the bridge to his block. It was a pedestrian-only bridge with metal bars leading upwards towards ceiling bars that stood above the bridge. The view was the best part. It revealed the whole line of the river towards the horizon and beyond. Incidentally, it was Dream's favourite way home. Dream jumped a bit as metal creaked from above and he looked up. A girl with greyish white hair and wearing a pure white mask that shone in the moonlight stood precariously on the top of the bridge, pacing on tiptoes from one end to another. She sang softly as a soft breeze pushed her hair delicately behind her.

"In the gloaming, oh my darling
When the lights are soft and low
And the quiet shadows, falling
Softly come and softly go
When the trees are sobbing faintly
With a gentle unknown woe
Will you think of me and love me
As you did once, long ago?"

Dream stared, mesmerised at the sight, but his senses returned in an instinctive rush as she suddenly leaned to the left and dropped. Panicked, Dream grabbed her wrist with both his hands just as she fell past the railing, preventing her from dropping down 50 metres or more. Her body jolted from the stop and she looked up. Dream found that her mask wasn't simply pure white but stained in black painted tears that began at the black eye holes and ended at the bottom of the mask.

"What are you doing?" She asked. Her voice was cold but not angry, simply... nothing.

"What are you doing?" Dream returned in shock, still recovering from the panic of suddenly stopping a stranger from dropping from a bridge.

"I like high places. I was admiring the view and I slipped."

"You almost died!" Dream took a deep breath before continuing. "Please take more care, Miss."

"Why?" She asked. "What's the point? If I die, I won't care. Everybody dies."

"But what happens if you start caring when you're halfway down and there's no stopping you? What if there's someone who has to suffer because you decided you didn't care?" The unmoving mask staring back up at him was his only answer. Dream, aware that he'd either have to hold her until someone came along or she decided to pull herself up, bit his lip in irritation at her apathy. "What if you miss something? What if someone else misses something? What about the people who have to grieve? Don't you think it's better to give life a chance before you give up on it?" There was a dead silence between them and Dream began to look around for help. Suddenly he felt a pull on his arms and he fell against the bridge fence before pulling upwards with the mystery girl. He soon found himself face to face with her mask, still holding her wrist.

"You're such an idealist," she muttered. Dream was about to reply but the girl ignored him and jumped over the fence, slipping out of his grip and walking away from him.

"Wait!" Dream called. "What's your name?" The girl glanced back for a moment then shrugged.

"Not one you want to know," she answered. She began running and disappeared. Dream only blinked and she was gone.

Nightmare sighed for what felt like the fiftieth time that day.

"Alright," She said. "Now that everyone's finally here." She looked pointedly at Error and Killer. "We need to find our contact."

"He's gonna meet us at a bar near the end of town," Dust said. "I contacted him today." Nightmare nodded.

"You go with Horror," She said. "I don't think I can deal with people right now."

"In all honesty," Killer began, her voice laced with a subtle, uncharacteristic irritation. "When can you deal with people?" Nightmare growled at her.

"We'll go," Horror said. "You and Killer stay here and look after Reaps." Killer shrugged.

"Alright."

"Anything we need to know before we meet this contact?" Horror asked, looking at Dust. Dust considered for a moment then smiled and said.

"He's a stripper."

Blue stepped forward to give Dream his plate of tacos as he walked inside. Ink was drawing again, bent over his work and humming.

"Welcome back," Blue said. "You're awfully late." Dream nodded.

"Something weird happened on the way home," Dream said.

"Ooo," Ink said, suddenly interested. "Do tell."

"This girl was on the top of the bridge and she just kinda... fell off." Blue gasped and Ink looked concerned.

"You mean she tried to kill herself?" Ink asked, dropping his pencil to look at his friend in concern. Dream shook his head.

"I caught her but..." He trailed off. Ink and Blue looked at each other warily.

"But what?" Blue finally asked.

"It's like she wasn't... depressed," Dream replied hesitantly. "It was more like she didn't... care." Ink frowned.

"I'm pretty sure that falls under depression," he said.

"No, no it wasn't like that," Dream insisted. Ink and Blue looked at each other again. Blue shrugged and Ink sighed. They fell silent. Dream looked contemplatively at the table he was sitting at and Ink and Blue awkwardly watched him.

"I saw a weird girl in a tree today," Ink said, breaking the silence.

"What?" Blue asked. Ink shrugged his shoulders.

"Dunno she kinda looked weird and she was an asshole."

"Wow ok."

"Did she say weird existential shit too?" Dream asked. Ink shrugged again.

"Not really but she talked kinda coldly and she had these weird markings on her face..."

"I met a girl today too," Blue said. "I thought she was nice but now I think about it she said some pretty weird stuff."

"About what?" Dream asked eagerly. Blue shook his head and shrugged.

"About... being sorry? I don't know." Ink shrugged and looked at his friends.

"Maybe a group of weird girls joined the neighbourhood and we just happened to meet them on the same day," He suggested. "It's not that hard to believe. It's not like it was at the same time or anything."

"Yeah," Blue agreed. "Let's just put this all behind us and move on. That means you Dream." Dream rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," He said. "I'm gonna make some tea."