wasteland - dreamnotfound

Chapter Three

~|Dream|~ 

I sit on the rock, tracing shapes into it with my fingertip, my mask tightly fastened around my head. I listen to Techno as he begins to speak. 

"Alright, listen up. Now that you're all packed, we need to get moving. Get anything else you need and meet here in five. We're out of here in ten, and then going to a specific place. I don't want to hear any complaints." 

There's a tense pause, that feels as if everyone was holding their breath. 

"Are we going left or right?" Tommy's voice breaks the silence. 

Techno groans, jumping off the rock. "Tommy, we've been over this, it's not a matter of 'left or right.' It's East and West, as well as North and South. So, the sun-" 

"No, I don't care about your sun shit, I want to know which way we're going!" 

"Fine! North!" 

"Left or right?!" 

I zone out, now entirely focused on the shapes I continuously trace into the boulder, noticing that more and more people begin to lose interest. I pause, mind wandering.

I wonder who our target is? If he's so 'desired,' I assume they've been after him for a while. Maybe I should've checked his file.

Whatever. No one escapes Technoblade and Dream, anyway. 

"-'m not arguing with you anymore over this, Tommy. Just, follow us when we leave, okay? Go make sure your roommates have everything they need." 

People have started to leave, so I hop off of the rock with a sigh, grabbing my new dagger and taking a deep breath. 

"You okay?" A familiar, kind voice that never fails to make anyone smile. 

"I've been better." I laugh softly, glancing up at the other. He smiles lightly. 

"Sorry to hear that, Dream. Care to tell me what's going on?" 

"It's kind of a long story, Bad.." 

Bad smiled softly, leaning against the rock at my side. "Is it a story I've heard?" He asks, tugging at his sleeve. 

"Sort of." 

"Well, I'm willing to listen if you'd like to tell me." 

I bite my lip, eyes flicking to the sky and then to the ground. 

"Well.. I had a friend, years ago. But, we got into a fight. Not like, fists or anything, just verbally. Although I guess that kinda hurt more." I exhale shakily, a soft, humorless chuckle escaping my lips. "And the day after, that's when- That's when the.." I trail off, unable to continue.

Bad softly rests one hand on my shoulder. "So you're thinking about that?" He presses gently. 

I hesitate before nodding. "Sort of. I just- I'm scared that when I find him, he'll be dead, or he'll be a target, or we'll never be friends again and it.. It sucks." 

Bad leans back against the rock for a moment. "If you think about it..." He begins quietly. "We're all stuck on this wasteland. We're all looking at the same stars, the same moon, the same sun. So.. No matter where your friend is, at least you can know that much." 

I exhale quietly, gazing down at my feet. "Yeah.. Thanks, Bad." 

Bad smiles softly. "No problem. I'll see you later, Dream." 

I watch as he leaves, standing up straighter myself and making my way back towards the house that I'd been sleeping in. 

~||~

"Okay. So, if we head South, it should only take us a day and a half to get there if we move quickly. That leaves a few hours of breaks." Techno says, crossing his arms and leaning back against the counter. 

I nod, grabbing my backpack and pulling it over my shoulder. "Are we doing night travel?" 

"Probably. It's not necessary, per se, but it's faster." 

"Okay. You all set, then?" I rest my hand on the doorknob, pausing as Techno picks up his stuff. 

"Yeah. I got Tommy and Tubbo to count heads, then we can get going." He runs a hand through his pink hair, glancing around briskly before following me out the door. 

The sunlight is bright, but the constant haze gives it a sort of orangey effect that's both pleasant and annoying. I glance around at the group as Tommy bounces up to me.

"Everyone is here, Dream. We can go." He says, in one of the calmest tones I've heard from him. I smile.

"Thanks, Tommy."

"Anytime." 

I turn to Techno. "Let's go, then." 

He smiles lightly. "Yeah." 

The rest of the day is spent walking. A few zombies who have managed to escape the sunlight tried to bite at us, but they didn't exactly put up a fight. 

There weren't many trees, or plants at all, in the wasteland. So, without a canopy of leaves, the sun bore down on us harshly, and I could boldly assume I'd be getting a sunburn from this. I sigh softly. 

The Wasteland, as many have begun to call it, is a long stretch of land that takes up nearly all of each continent. Usually, it's made up of a sort of dirt that feels like sand, but has a more orangey colour and is a lot less fun to make sand castles out of. On the Wasteland, there are few animals and plants, and shelter is often scarce. 

That's just the 'dictionary definition,' of course. Clearly sugarcoated. 

If you want a more real definition: It's a living hell. 

I slump farther against the tree with a sigh, gazing up at the sun, which has begun to dip in the sky. I've rolled the sleeves up on my hoodie, my legs already beginning to burn from overuse and my lungs beginning to ache dully. 

I stand up anyway, exchanging a quick glance with Techno so he knows I'm leaving, and stride off into the darkening wasteland. 

There's a kind of peacefulness that I find in walking in the evening. Like, sure, there's zombies, but I can defend myself fine. So all my worries can sort of melt away when I'm alone, the usually hot, suffocating air of the wasteland cooling into a more gentle dusk breeze.

I stand a ways away from the group, so far they aren't in sight and I doubt I could hear them if anyone screamed. I stand with my hands in my pockets, a soft, content exhale escaping my lips as I gaze up at the now dark sky. 

But my serene silence is broken by the sound of something whipping at a lightning fast speed through the air.

An arrow.

~||~

—

Word count: 1080

another short chapter, and it was also delayed lmao

so sorry about that 

it mayyy get interesting soon though :] 

been working to get my motivation back recently, hopefully it worked alright!

Have a wonderful day! <3 

-Melli-