The Broken Egg (Discontinued)

Chapter 16

Dream started awake and screamed as her sprained leg protested her sudden movement. She collapsed back on the strange bed, her eyes watering and blurry with tears. There was movement before her and she found a pale face with black streaks running down its cheeks. Her heart pounding, her body moved away from the unfamiliar sight and she almost yelled again but something stopped her.

"Be quiet," a voice whispered. "I didn't save you to get yelled at." Dream stared at the man in front of her. Her heartbeat slowed and she blinked the tears from her eyes.

"Who are you?" She asked fearfully. "Are you going to kill me?" The man moved away from her and picked up a pack sitting on the ground.

"Why would I kill you?" He asked, pulling some leather strings out of his pocket and attaching them to the pack. Dream relaxed and lay down more comfortably on whatever she was lying on.

"Do you know who I am?" Dream asked curiously.

"No," he replied. He looked at her. "Why? Did you forget?" Dream quietly shook her head.

"Why did you... save me then?"

"I didn't want regret pressing on my conscience." Dream looked around. She was lying in a little cottage-like house with a small kitchen and two doors leading who knows where. The man was wearing poorly stitched together hunter clothes and a belt carrying two knives. He turned to glare at her his pitch-black eyes somehow betraying anger. "Stop staring." Dream started.

"S-Sorry!" She yelped. "I just..." She trailed off. He groaned irritably.

"What?" He snapped, turning to face her. Dream flinched.

"W-What's your name?" She asked timidly. His eyes narrowed.

"What's that to you?" He asked suspiciously.

"I want something to call you," Dream replied, a little bit confused. "That's what names are for... aren't they?" His mouth twitched and Dream thought he might've almost smiled.

"Killer," he answered. "My name is Killer."

"Killer?" She asked, disbelief and shock creeping into her voice. Killer growled.

"Well, what's yours, Princess?" He asked, offended. Dream felt a flash of guilt but was focused on one thing.

"Princess?" Dream asked, worry making her heart beat.

"Yes, that's what I call pretentious, soft little girls like you," Killer growled. Dream bit back a sigh of relief. "What's your name? Not that I'll use it."

"My name is Dream." She hesitated. "Thank you for saving me." Killer grunted and turned away.

"Fine, make sure you don't move. I've elevated your leg and got a compression around it but its spring so I don't have anything to help the swelling. Once your leg is healed you'll pay me back then you'll leave me alone." Dream blinked.

"Pay you back?" She asked.

"That's what I said."

"How?" Killer shrugged.

"However I need you to." Dream nodded. Killer stood up. "I need to go out and get food. Don't die. I don't want to clean up your corpse." He opened one of the doors and fresh sunlight filtered. Dream let it soak in, still weak from lack of sunlight. Killer stared at her then shrugged and left the house with the door slightly ajar.

Nightmare awoke to find Cross sitting a few metres away from him, eating jerky. He groaned as he pushed himself off the tree that he'd apparently fallen asleep against, feeling his back cramp. Cross looked at him and smirked at his pain.

"Good morning," she said with far too much amusement in her voice for his liking.

"You look happy," Nightmare observed dryly. "Any reason in particular you're enjoying yourself so much this morning." She smiled.

"No." She held a piece of jerky. "Jerky?" Nightmare took it and ripped off a piece. "Not coughing this morning?"  Cross asked.

"Nope," Nightmare answered. "How lucky. We can keep moving." Cross nodded. "And no more stopping," he ordered. Cross shook her head.

"That coughing makes you collapse there's no way we can afford not to stop."

"And when did you become an expert?" Nightmare asked.

"When I became a mother," Cross shot back. They glared at each other for a few long moments until Nightmare broke the silence.

"I can't afford to stop I have to find Dream."

"You won't find Dream if you die on the way," Cross argued.

"A little coughing won't kill me."

"I wouldn't exactly call that coughing little." Cross crossed her arms and held his gaze defiantly.

"And why do you care if I die?" Nightmare asked.

"Because if you die I can't ask for your help finding Incubux." Nightmare sighed in defeat.

"Fine, I'll rest." Cross almost smiled in triumph. "But we're moving now. Let's go."

Blue awoke to face the rising sun throwing open the guest room curtains. The Noire's had let them stay overnight or for however long they needed. Blue quickly dressed and opened the door to find Dust staring out a window.

"Good morning Dust!" She called, running over to him. He turned around and smiled at her.

"Morning Blue, what are you doing up so early?" He asked.

"I'm always up at sunrise," Blue replied. "The sun's awake so I'm awake." Dust chuckled. "What about you? Why are you up so early?" Dust's smile slipped.

"Uh, I don't sleep well." He shrugged. "I always end up waking before sunrise." Blue frowned.

"Oh? Why not?"

"Well..." Dust bit his lip. "You know what my magic is?" Blue shook her head. "I can access people's minds by making eye contact with them."

"Oh that sounds cool," Blue interrupted. Dust smiled at her.

"Unfortunately accessing people's minds can lead to some... dark places..."

"Dark places?"

"Have you ever been in the mind of a murderer?" Blue shook her head. "It's..." He shivered. Blue put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a comforting smile.

"I can't understand what that's like but you have to remember nightmares are just nightmares; they aren't real." Dust stared at her, then laughed.

"You're really good at comforting people you know that?" He asked. Blue smiled.

"I'd hope so. I've had to comfort Lust after her nightmares too," she replied.

"Lust has nightmares?" Blue nodded.

"Of when she was-" She stopped. "Sorry, I'm not supposed to tell you that." Dust shrugged.

"That's alright." They both stared out the window, admiring the beautiful grounds.  Dust turned to her. "Hey Blue, you wanna go see if the kitchen has food?" He asked. Blue nodded.

"Sure, let's go."

Chara floated next to the sleeping Betty's bed, watching her chest rise and fall. His hand rose to his own chest, feeling its dead stillness dejectedly. Betty rolled over in her sleep, her body turning to face him. It almost felt like... she could feel him there.

"Betty," he whispered. "I know you can't see me, you can't feel me, you can't hear me but I really wanted to say..." He gulped. "I love you and I will always be here for you." He leant over the bed and kissed her on the head. He hesitated for a moment then turned away, continuing. "...I wish you could see me."

And the Kreme has begun!

I am a full 15 hours and 36 minutes into the new year and I have a bunch of stuff I wanna do.

If you haven't seen it I published a new book called Criminal so check it out if you want.

Have a lovely day