A Living Nightmare

Chapter Nine

Dream stared at the figure on top of the hill.
That was impossible.
He was dead.

His brother was dead.

Nightmare was dead...

...So how was he here??

The Dark Sanses recovered first, not being shocked in the first place. They teleported to the bottom of the hill Nightmare was standing on, weary and filled with trepidation.

"You're... you're supposed to be gone," Ink growled furiously. "You're dead. I killed you!"

"Obviously not." Nightmare slid down the hill, leaving two grooves from his slippers as he stared at the two Star Sanses.

Dream shivered under his brother's cold, unfeeling stare. "How are you alive?" he whispered, feeling nervous and uncomfortable. He was unused to his brother's aura by now, and the chilling effect was unnerving him.

Nightmare glanced at him. "Who cares?"
He reared his tentacles, sharpening them to points or harpoonlike spears.

"Horror, Killer, Cross, Dust, you take Ink. Surely the four of you imbeciles together can do that. I'll take the other one."

Ink really didn't have much time to think before the Dark Sanses charged him, bone attacks slicing through the air, knives, swords, Blaster beams, and the occasional axe flying everywhere. He was acting entirely on relflex, dodging, swiping, and firing spatters of paint every opportunity he had.

How was Nightmare still alive?! What happened?? Sci had promised him it would work.... Sci wouldn't betray him, would he?

A bone nicked his forearm, bringing him back to the present with a painful jolt just in time to dodge Cross's gigantic knife. He'd worry about that later, once he wasn't in danger anymore.

Dream jumped back when Nightmare lunged at him, twirling his staff to fend off his sharp tentacles. He used it to whack off a few that came too close to their target for comfort, transforming his staff into a bow as he leapt back. He shot several arrows into Nightmare's goopy form.

Nightmare, unfazed, lashed out again with two thick tendrils, grabbing onto Dream's bow and twisting it viciously.

Dream refused to let go, and was slammed into the ground by the force of Nightmare's pull, wincing as he heard several cracks. That had hurt....

Nightmare yanked the bow out of Dream's arms, tossing it far away to the side. A few smaller tentacles pulled out the arrows Dream had shot into him, the ooze slowly refilling the holes they had left.

Dream's eyelights widened as Nightmare advanced, rearing a huge tentacle. He slammed it into Dream, tossing him across the snow- and ash-covered ground.

Dream gasped for breath, winded. He choked when Nightmare was suddenly there, placing a foot onto his ribs and looking down at him. His lack of emotion was odd, but Dream really couldn't think about that right now. he could barely breathe...

"Who did this to me?"

Dream choked slightly as Nightmare added a bit of extra pressure to his chest as he spoke, his voice cool and collected.

"I-Ink! He threw the p-potion, you saw him! It wasn't me! I-I would never want to do something- something like that!" Dream wheezed, trying to shove Nightmare's foot off of his chest.

Nightmare tsked. "I know that. But who made the potion?"
He added yet more force onto Dream's ribs, narrowing his eyes in seemingly sadistic satisfaction at the cracking sound they made.