Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prelude…

Ranboo didn't know what they were doing here, how they got here, or why this was happening. Hetch had betrayed him and everything had finally felt real, or at least the closest thing he could feel to things being real. Charlie was dead, Sneeg was dead, Niki was dead, everyone he cared about was dead.

It was all his fault.

Now, they were stuck here, wired to a wall, about to die, sitting with the things that had just been revealed to him. With the way he was positioned, he wanted to make some sort of joke, something to lighten up the situation, but how could they? They were about to fucking die on live television! What kind of sick people found this entertaining? What kind of sick people watched this? What kind of sick people enjoyed deciding who was to die and who was to be tortured in some sick cast of Showfall Media’s “Social Experiments”?

Obviously these “viewers”. As he screamed and begged to die, he couldn't help but feel sorrow and weakness, thinking about the people the real him must have known. Their faces were hazy, but he knew he knew people, his parents, his friends…or were those fake too? Were those implanted memories that Hetch created as red herrings, something to make his execution more enticing and “Juicy”? The only thing that felt real was the betrayal and pain coursing through their veins.

They watched the meter go up as the viewers made their choice to either Live or Die. he couldn’t help but feel a spark of disgusting hope when it shot to “Die”. He couldn't help it, but he felt watched by another person, but not the massive amounts of people watching from home, not Hetch, and not the Showfall Media “Drones”, but someone else. Suddenly, he locked eyes with the man, staring into them with a look of pure fear, defeat, and pleading. He couldn't think of how to describe the man, just a person wearing a suit. That's all he could think of when trying to take in the man’s looks.

“I'm sorry, Ranboo, but it must be done.” the man said, the voice bellowing through the destroyed microphone of the mangled mask, the wires embedded into his bloodied face vibrating with the volume of the voice. “Please, please, please, I don't want to do this. I don't want to be here. I want to go home. I want to, just please. Either kill me or set me free, please.” they sobbed, slamming their eyes shut.

He continued to stare at the meter of votes, “Let me die!”. Memories began to flood again, from the life he believed he lived and the life he might have had. He had a mother and father, he had friends, he had a job ...on the other hand, he had just a father, brothers, a few friends, a cabin. It was almost as if he lived two lives at once, and they were finally colliding in what he prayed to be his last moments. Ranboo sobbed as his life flashed before their eyes, a small moment to mourn everything he’d lost.

But did he ever really have anything?

Hetch’s voice cut through their thoughts like a searing hot knife, pulling him to reality once more. “The audience has decided for you…”

‘Please, please, please…’

“To die.” Hetch finished. “I'm sorry, young lamb.” the Founder’s voice whispered through the mask as time moved in slow motion. His eyes locked with those of the Founder before staring into the camera and letting out a small breath as the box sealed itself on his head, the spikes penetrating his skull, choking on his blood as his mind snapped, body limp.

There was pain, then there was bliss, then there was freedom……

But would it last forever?
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Chapter Text

Part One
A Trip Down Memory Lane

Chapter I...

Ranboo woke up with a smile on their face. They grabbed their cloth mask and put it on and got dressed quickly. Today was a big day! It was their eighth birthday! Before they opened the wooden door, they grabbed their favorite gray and red jacket and put it on, running to their brothers’ room.

He opened the door and turned on the lamps, “Sneeg! Charlie! It’s my birthday! It’s my birthday!” he cheered, jumping on Sneeg’s bed. The oldest brother groaned and pulled the blue covers over his head, “Let me sleep a bit longer. It’s five in the morning.”. Charlie lightly giggled from his bed, sitting up and putting on his glasses. “You sure it’s your birthday, Ranbus?”

“Yes! Yes! It is! I'm this many years old!” Ranboo cheered, holding up eight of his fingers with a big, goofy grin that they could see, even through the mask. “Are you sure?” Sneeg taunted, mischievously and sleepily smiling. “Yes, I am sure, Sneeg!” Ranboo whined, rolling around on the fifteen-year-old’s bed. “Are you sure you’re not…..5 years old?” the older teased again. “What? No!” the youngest exclaimed, “I'm seven years old today, silly!”

Charlie walked over to the two and ruffled Ranboo’s messy hair, “We know, we’re teasin’.”. Ranboo giggled a bit from the touch as Sneeg lifted him off the bed. “Ok, you guys get out so I can get ready.” He said, going to his dresser and getting some clothes out, and then pushing his younger siblings out of the room and closing the door. Charlie and Ranboo stood in silence before Charlie spoke, “So, it’s your big day! Whatcha wanna do?”

Ranboo thought for a moment before smiling again, “Everything! I wanna go explore the forest with you guys and Papa! A-and I wanna go talk to the workers that papa brings sometimes, and I wanna make more friends, and I wanna go meet more people, and I wanna go-”

The other brother covered Ranboo’s mouth, snickering, “I get it, I get it.”. Sneeg’s door soon swiftly opened as he stretched a bit, his hair messy as well. He wore a blue and white hoodie with a hat and blue sweatpants. “Alrighty, Ranboo, you’re in charge today,” he smiled, “after breakfast.”. The kid cheered and ran to the kitchen, giggling, the others following. Sneeg opened the fridge and let out a hum as it was still mysteriously stocked with nutritious foods and sweets. “What are you guys feeling this morning? Pancakes, waffles, eggs, muffins? Take your picks.” he offered. “I want a pancake!” Ranboo cheered, holding up a fork and knife. “I’ll do a waffle.” Charlie answered more calmly than the other, cleaning his glasses a bit, still in his pajamas.

“Alrighty, one pancake, and one waffle.” Sneeg hummed, beginning to make the batter. While he cooked, there were three knocks on the front door, then the sound of it creaking open. “Guess who’s home!” a familiar voice sang. Charlie and Ranboo’s eyes lit up and they ran to the door. “Papa!” they cheered, hugging the man in the suit with a smile. He hugged back, “Ah, boys! How are we this morning?”. Ranboo pulled him into the kitchen, “It’s my birthday! Sneeg’s makin’ us some pancakes and waffles!”

“Mornin’, Dad.” Sneeg smiled, continuing to cook. In Ranboo’s personal opinion, nobody cooked better than Sneeg. It just wasn't physically possible.

“Whatcha feelin’ for breakfast, Dad?” Sneeg asked, turning to him with the white apron on. “Oh, uh, anything, thank you.” Papa hummed, sitting at the table, next to Ranboo. “So, how are you, Birthday Boy?” he smiled, ruffling his hair. Ranboo giggled, leaning to the touch, he had been rambling all about the things he wanted to do today. Soon, Sneeg came to the table with a plate of waffles, pancakes, and his personal favorite, German French toast. The family sat together in the kitchen of the Cabin, eating breakfast while the young Ranboo had not stopped talking about how amazing the day would be and that they were finally seven, which was close to eight, which meant he was close to nine, and so forth.

“Now, we should get you a gift, shouldn't we? I suppose I had this prepared. It’s something I think you’ll take quite a liking to.” Papa smiled, setting a box on the table. It was a narrow, rectangular box with black and red wrapping, Ranboo’s favorite colors.

The child gasped and started ripping the wrapping instantly. Soon, with the wrappings gone, the present lay there, a wonderful board game of Mouse Trap. “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I’ve been wanting this game since…well…since forever!” he squealed, holding the box and then soon hugging his family. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Sneeg smiled lightly and hugged back softly. “So, seven years old today?” Papa smiled, nudging Ranboo. He nodded frantically and pulled away from the embrace, “What can I start with today?”

Papa thought for a moment before smiling, “why don't we go to the forest like you said?”

The child’s eyes lit up as he cheered a loud “yes!”, running to grab his shoes and not even thinking to tie them before bursting through the door. Sneeg laughed, following and putting on his high tops, grabbing Charlie’s wrist, and dragging him out as well. Papa followed at a walking pace as the boys ran to catch up with Ranboo. “Where should we go? There’s so much to explore!” He giggled, spinning around in the sunlight.

“I think we should go….that way!” Charlie grinned, pointing at a clearing not too far from them. Sneeg smiled and encouraged them to go on while he went to speak with Papa.

“Dad, I need to talk to you…” He started as soon as the younger two were far from them. “What is it, Sneeg?” Papa asked, tilting his head.

“Where do you go late at night? And I don't mean when you leave in the day for a bit, but where do you go when at night and you are with us? What are those sounds that come from the door?” Sneeg questioned. The area around was unsettling as the words came out, the birds stopped chirping, the leaves stopped rustling, it was an unnerving silence.

Papa looked shocked, but held his composure, “I-I don't quite understand what you mean.”

“You heard me. Where. Do. You. Go?” Sneeg said more sternly, narrowing his eyes as he held eye contact. “Sneeg, I don't know what you mean.” Papa shot back, it was obvious he was hiding something. Sneeg grumbled, “I think you know exactly what I mean, dad. Where does that door take you? The sounds don't sound like a forest.”

The silence was near deafening…which pushed Papa to speak. “Fine. on the night of your fifteenth birthday, I’ll show you.” he sighed, rubbing his temples. Sneeg nodded, “alright. I knew there was something going on behind our backs.”. He pushed past Papa, going to catch up with his brothers. When he caught up, it seemed like everything was normal for them. Ranboo was chasing butterflies while Charlie watched, sitting upon a rock.

“So, how's this for a birthday, Ranboo?” Sneeg asked with a smile, ruffling his hair. “Great!” the kid giggled, trying to catch another butterfly. He couldn't help it, watching his brother this happy made him happy as well. It was like his problems would fade away temporarily.

Keyword: Temporarily. Not permanent.

Papa caught up, went to speak to Sneeg, but stopped himself before sitting down in the grass and watching his sons interact and enjoy themselves in the forest clearing. Charlie stood up on the rock and let out his so-called “Evil Laugh”, and Sneeg and Ranboo knew exactly what was coming.

“Boo, Bitch! See you have found my clearing!” Charlie, or as his “Slime Demon” name was “Slimecicle”, bellowed. Sneeg snickered as Papa looked at him with a shocked expression when his twelve year old swore. Ranboo giggled and went to play along, “Who the hell are you?” they giggled.

“Sneeg, is this your doing?” Papa asked quietly. “Yup. Someone had to teach them.” Sneeg snickered, watching his brothers play.

“I’m the demon who haunts this forest.” Slimecicle proclaimed proudly, letting out another evil laugh. Papa watched with a small smile, this was entertaining…ǐ̴̧t̸̂͜ ̷̜̐g̵͔̒a̸̪͝v̵̭̄ě̵͎ ̶̝͝h̸̙̓ĭ̴̥m̸̪͠ ̴̰̚a̵͆͜ñ̴̞ ̵̱̾ȉ̷̢d̵͙͝e̴͖͂ȃ̶̧.. Sneeg felt that something was off, but he decided not to question it at the moment. He’d figure it out later. Instead, he sighed and just continued to watch his brothers play together.

Ranboo grabbed a stick and held it out like a sword, “a demon?”. “Yeah! Slimecicle the Slime demon!” Slimecicle bellowed, making funny movements with his hands.

The two played together while Sneeg and Papa watched, it was quite interesting and investing to watch. They went on for hours until the sun started to set, and it was about. “Come on! Come on!” Charlie called, grabbing his brothers’ hands and running and trying to climb a tree. While he and Sneeg reached it with ease, Ranboo was a lot more clumsy with it, occasionally slipping and catching himself, and Papa stayed on the ground and watched from there.

“So, how’s your birthday so far, Ranbus?” Sneeg asked, nudging him as the three sat on a large branch together. The youngest rested his head on Charlie’s shoulder.

“the bestest.”

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It had been a few minutes after Papa sent the three to bed. The lights were off and there was a deafening silence. “He’s still here.” Sneeg whispered to himself, silently getting out of bed and creeping to the doorway of him and Charlie’s shared room. He poked his head out and noticed Papa, talking on a cellphone and walking to the front door of the cabin.

He looked around a bit, Sneeg assumed he was making sure nobody was watching, and opened the door. The sounds sounded like nothing he had really heard around here, there were loud mechanical sounds and echoes. It was nothing like leaves rustling and birds singing. “What the fuck are you hiding…” he mumbled, watching as he left the cabin.

Chapter Text

Charlie walked through the unfamiliar area, he was alone and afraid. He didn't know why he was afraid, but he was. He continued to roam the place until a spotlight shot onto him, illuminating the area around him enough that he could see a bit ahead of him. Soon, laughter began to ring out as he tried to find where it was coming from. All he could see was the white, dirty floors as some odd substance dripped onto it. “Hello? Ranboo! Sneeg! Guys! Where are you!” the kid cried out, starting to panic. He backed up as the spotlight followed him to…railing? 

No, that couldn't be right. He was in the cabin, yeah, he was in the cabin! Where the hell was he? Charlie squinted his eyes as he tried to see further, and he caught the glimpse of what could be described as…a mall, if that was the correct word. The laughs grew louder as he began to panic more. There was no sight of his family anywhere . Suddenly, as if on cue, another spotlight turned on, further from him. There was a tall figure there, he seemed to be up against a wall.

He was motionless.

And there was a watery liquid dripping slowly.

Charlie began to walk to the mysterious man cautiously, but each step he took echoed as the laughter hit a deafening, cold, silence. The crowd was watching, anticipating, waiting for something. Soon enough, he was close enough to hear the quiet drips.

Drip, drip, drip. Step, step, step. Drip, drip, drip.

It was a pattern. Before he got too close, an unseen force held him back, but he was close enough to see some of the features of the man. Soon, he solved the mystery of why he was still and un-moving.

The man was dead. 

The drips were blood.

And the man looked sickeningly familiar. The way his hair was a dusty brownish-blonde, the tint of his pale skin, the familiar shape of his hazel-green eyes. The awkward length of his legs. That goddamn jacket.

It was Ranboo, about nineteen years old. There were spikes protruding out of his chest, stomach, and hands. Blood was dripping from his mouth and nose like he went down with a fight. 

Charlie screamed, tripping on his foot as he fell backwards in pure shock and fear. The laughing track started back up as distorted music echoed through the mall. Ranboo’s head slowly lifted up as those dead, lifeless eyes stared into his bright blue ones. They had a deadpan expression as the two locked eyes. Charlie scrambled back away, hearing the click of another spotlight. 

He turned around to look behind him to see the light shining on a figure propped up against the railing. Above him was a falling, fake “EXIT” sign. Sneeg was laying against the railing, bloody and most likely dead as well. He also looked up to stare at him, blood dripping from his mouth. 

The laughing got louder as he panicked more to see his dead brothers. He heard Ranboo begin to speak, his voice cold and raspy and it sent a shiver down Charlie's spine.  “Why couldn't you just trust me.” he asked. As Charlie looked at him, he could see wires inside his mouth, as if they were a part of his insides. He looked back at Sneeg, who began to talk as well. “If you weren't here, I would have made it out…”

Charlie felt a pain in his chest and his gut and his head. He looked at the floor as he felt something start to leak from his own mouth. Blood hit the floor with a little “plink”.  He screamed again and fell on the ground, looking at his body to see large gnashes and claw marks. He looked like he got mauled by some sort of rabid creature. Not only that, but he looked different as well. He had a green tee shirt with a black vest over it. His voice sounded deeper as he screamed,“Fuck!”. The laughing began to distort as the world started to spin. He covered his ears and shut his eyes. “Stop! Stop!”

He woke up in a cold sweat, gripping his shirt tightly. He looked over quickly to make sure Sneeg was there, of which he was, peacefully sleeping and dreaming about who knows what. Charlie let out a thankful sigh as he grabbed his glasses off of his nightstand and put them on, turning on his lamp and taking a few moments to breathe. That was nothing that he was used to, sure he had a nightmare here and there, but that was something worse. 

“Fuck me.” he sighed, shaking his head. “What the hell was that?” he whispered, trying to remember the night terror clearly. Charlie quietly got out of bed and walked to the kitchen, grabbing a cup and turning the faucet to run some water. He filled his cup and took a sip, sitting down on the couch and taking a few more breaths. The brunette looked at his watch and noticed that it was around 2:10 A.M, so he could either go to sleep or stay up as long as possible. Both options were not ideal. 

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling, trying to make his choice. It was too quiet for his liking, so he stood up to go get ready to fall asleep again. Of course, after that hell of a nightmare, he went to check up on Ranboo to make sure he was ok and still there in his bed. He cracked open the door, seeing his little brother sleeping sound. Charlie smiled and sighed with relief, closing the door again and then going back to his room to go back to bed. 

Charlie couldn't describe why, but he just felt off, as if something wrong could happen. But they were safe, right? Nothing dangerous could happen, he was just paranoid from that dream, that's all. Everything was fine. Everything was ok. Everything was gonna work out. 

He laid in bed, took off his glasses, turning off his lamp and pulling over the covers again. It felt like an hour as he stared at the ceiling, maybe a few more hours. Charlie sighed and tried his best to try to get back to sleep, but the night terror was too…it felt too real. It frightened the poor boy to try to sleep, afraid it was going to pick up where it ended. But, nevertheless, he eventually fell asleep.

He was running, but why? Why was he running? What was he running from? Charlie wasn't sure, but all he knew was that he needed to run, and fast. He heard the distorted and mechanical growls and roars of a beast behind him, the quickening footsteps growling closer as he stopped at a ledge. It was to mall again, he was back at the fucking mall again. 

He turned to see the monster, seeing its form with a look of shock and horror. Its body looked mangled and contorted to be an inhuman height, its body was covered in black wires. In the spots where there were no wires, you could see the mangled and bloodied skin of something that must have been human once. Its head was that of a box TV with a large hole on the side of the screen. If he squinted hard enough, he might’ve been able to make out the horrific eye staring at him with nothing but a blood lust. To finish it off, it had monstrous metal claws that looked as sharp as razor blades, maybe even sharper. It halted, as if awaiting orders from something, just staring at Charlie.

A figure stepped out from behind it, wearing a red and black jacket, black pants and shoes, and a mask. The mask looked oddly familiar, but he didn't know why. “Now, now, Terrance. We might as well give this poor boy a chance to talk.” the man chuckled. ‘ Terrance? What fucking name is  Terrance?’ he thought with a grimace. “Who are you?” Charlie yelled, pressing himself against the glass railing. “You don't remember? Maybe you hit your head too hard, kid. But, alas, if I must reintroduce myself. My name is Hetch, this is Terrance.” the man-Hetch- said, motioning to “Terrance”. 

“Ok! But what the fuck does this have to do with me?” he screamed, visibly shaking. “Well, you kinda fucked up. You tried to wake up Ranboo and Sneeg from this whole experiment, and I can't have that happen. I won't let that happen. So, I must reset you.” Hetch explained, motioning to Terrance. “So you’re gonna kill me? You’re gonna kill me and then what?” Charlie snapped.

“Reset you. Didn't I already say that?” Hetch laughed, crossing his arms. “Now just stand still, it will only sting for a minute. I mean, it will hurt a lot, but for a short amount of time. We really do have to just fucking kill you, reanimate you, then you are good.”.

In instinct, Charlie tried to run before Terrance lunged at him, tackling him through the glass railing.  The glass shattered as the two began their fall, time passed as if they were moving in honey. He tried to fight against the beast as its claws dug into his body. Charlie screamed in pain and fear as he cried out for help. With a surge of adrenaline, he was able to flip sides, now Terrance was going to be the first to hit the ground. He tried ripping at the wires, hoping to shut it down, but then the positions were flipped again at the last minute. 

Charlie hit the ground, back first. He gasped at the impact, the world instantly turning black.

*

With that, he woke up again. “FUCK!” he screamed, waking up Sneeg. His brother ran to his side to check up on him, asking him questions such as “are you ok?”, “what happened?”, “Charlie, do you need anything?”. As Charlie was putting on his glasses, Sneeg went to touch his back, and when his fingers made a light impact, he hissed in pain. Sneeg’s face went from worry to heavy concern as he lightly lifted his shirt up to see what caused him pain.

As soon as his back was visible, Sneeg gasped and screamed, “Oh my god!”. “What? What? What is it?” Charlie asked, trying to look back. “D-did you fall off your fucking bed?” Sneeg asked. “Not that I can recall.” Charlie answered.

On his back, there was a large red mark, and scattered around his body were large markings as if something had clawed at him. At his sides were large, fresh, and still bleeding scars that Sneeg never recalled Charlie having. It was as if spikes had plunged into his skin. “Holy fuck, man. This is fucked. This is fucked.” Sneeg muttered under his breath. Some of the scratches were still bleeding. He tried to shake off the view and went to touch them to make sure they were real. As he did, Charlie screamed in agony. “OW! FUCK !”.

‘ This can't be happening, this can't be happening. Maybe an animal broke in last night! ’ Charlie mentally rambled, trying to wrap his head around this phenomena. “We need to get dad on the phone, now. ” Sneeg muttered.

 “What about Ran?” 

“Let him sleep, but we should at least clean your back.” Sneeg explained, helping him out of the bed. “What’s on my back?” he asked, tilting his head. “When we get to the bathroom I'll show you.” Sneeg muttered again, leading him out of the room. 

When they entered the bathroom, Sneeg flipped on the lights and had Charlie take off his shirt to have better access to wrap wounds. When Charlie looked in the mirror from a back angle, he gasped and covered his mouth. “There’s no fucking way. This can't be happening. This just can't be happening!” he screamed, starting to cry. ‘ It's a coincidence. It’s just a coincidence! ’ he panicked, feeling lightheaded and grabbing Sneeg’s shirt to keep himself on stable footing. 

“Charlie, I need you to explain everything to me. Because this is not normal.” Sneeg said softly, sitting down with his brother and grabbing the medical supplies and beginning to treat the wounds. “Nothing makes sense, you’ll call me crazy.” Charlie started, taking off his glasses and covering his eyes. A feeling of understanding washed over Sneeg, his eyes softened. “Trust me, I've seen a lot of crazy shit in my life.” Sneeg sighed, starting with treating the gnashes on his sides first. He winced as the gauze touched the marks and began to tell the story.

“I-I had a dream where I was being chased by this monster in a mall…I’ll try to sketch it later. Then I stopped at this glass railing and some guy came out from behind him. He had this mask that had red marks on it and his hoodie was red and black. He told me he was going to reset me because I ‘tried to wake you guys up’  and that he had to kill me to do so. A-and then the monster lunged at me and we broke through the glass. The monster was trying to kill me before we hit the ground and then when we did, I woke up.” he rambled.

Sneeg looked at him with shocked eyes as he finished up, “T-This is gonna sound fucking crazy…but I had a similar nightmare. I-I saw you too, a-and then I got shot or something because I saw you start running then I woke up.”. The two stared at each other for a moment before they both exclaimed, “Ranboo!”. Sneeg got up and told Charlie to stay before running to check on the youngest. He burst in the door and shook the kid awake, “Ranboo! Ranboo! MARK. ”. 

Ranboo woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes, “What…what? What happened? Is the house on fire?” he asked with a groggy voice. He hugged him quickly, “Are you ok? Did you have a nightmare too?”. Ranboo hesitantly hugged him back, “n-no. I had a dream where I was in the forest playing with the animals.”. 

“Oh thank God.” he sighed. “Why?” Ranboo asked, tilting his head. “It’s nothing.” Sneeg mumbled. “We’re gonna call dad, but stay in here, ok? Stay in your room and put on your headphones.” he assured, rubbing his back and getting up. Ranboo nodded and grabbed his red and black headphones and grabbed his Walkman and began to play the music Sneeg got for him as an early birthday gift. 

*

Dad walked into the house and Sneeg led him to the bathroom, where Charlie was quietly crying. “Oh shit.” he muttered, kneeling to his height to look at the bloodied bandages. “When did this all happen? Sneeg, how did this happen?” Dad asked. “I-” Charlie started before Sneeg cut him off. 

“Am not sure, Dad.” he said. “All we know is he woke up from a night terror and I went to check up on him and these were there. Not sure how, not sure why.”.

There was a moment of silence followed by, “I see…Sneeg, walk with me.”. Sneeg nodded and went to leave the room with him. Charlie grabbed his arm with tear filled eyes, “Sneeg, please stay. I'm fucking scared, man.” he whispered. There was a gaze of sympathy in the oldest’s expression as his stern expression softened once more. “Slime, i’ll be ok. We’re gonna get this fixed, I promise.”  he whispered back, the other nodding. 

The brunette left, leaving the younger in the bathroom alone with his thoughts, the faucet dripping to fill the silence. But the drips were in an odd order. He would catch it occasionally. 

Drip, drip…drip…drip, drip…drip…drip drip…drip..

He waited again for more, clinging onto any noise in the bathroom.

Drip drip, drip….drip drip…..drip…drip.

It was a looping pattern, just a small thing he noticed…it was calming, nevertheless. He just wondered how long it would take for the other two to come back. He really hoped Ranboo was ok, he knew these things stressed him out a lot.

*

“Sneeg, tell me everything at once.” Father snapped, making the other’s breathing hitch. “Ok, yeah, maybe I didn't tell you everything. Charlie had a nightmare, he said he was chased by something and that thing tried to kill him. It tackled him off a ledge and they both fell while it tried to fucking kill him. There. That's all you are fucking getting, dad .” Sneeg hissed. 

There was silence in the hall for a moment before they both went to speak. 

“And you didn't think to call me as soon as you saw the fresh wounds?”
“The nightmares are getting worse and the treatments haven't done jack shit. ”

The two glared at each other for a moment before Dad sighed, “I'm sorry. I'm just stressed, Brendan. I will get something sorted out to help with this, I promise. Is Ranboo ok?” 

“Yeah, I checked up on him.” Sneeg muttered, avoiding eye contact as he was visibly pissed off. Dad placed his hand on his shoulder and sighed, “Sneeg. Please look at me.”

“How can I look at a man who is hiding so much from me, from us ! Whatever it is, it’s so fucking big that you want to tell me when I'm fucking fifteen! Fifteen ! That's practically almost an adult!” Sneeg argued, snapping at him again with force. “That is not even close.” Dad sighed, shaking his head. 

“I know I'm keeping secrets, but it’s to keep you safe. Do you see what happened to Charlie, it will only get worse if you intervene. Leave this up to me.” Dad commanded. 

“How can I trust you?” he asked with a slight bit of venom in his tone.

 “You’re just gonna have to.” Dad answered. “Now, I must go get this solved. I’ll keep you updated, Sneeg. For the meantime, keep Charlie awake. He mustn't go to sleep in this condition.” 

Sneeg nodded before pushing past him to go back to check up on Charlie. “...bye, I guess.” Dad mumbled before leaving. ‘ Good. get the fuck out of here. .” Sneeg hissed. 

When he entered the bathroom, Charlie was staring off into the distance, but it didn't look normal. He looked frozen in time, as if something hit pause. “What the fuck.” Sneeg muttered, going to check up on him. “Charlie? Charlie?”

*

It was talking to him. He could understand it . Time felt as if it stopped, but the voice spoke clearly. “Charlie? Charlie, can you understand me?” a feminine voice called out. “Y-yes! Yes! I can hear you! Can you hear me?” Charlie asked back. “Yes! I read you loud and clear. Thank god I broke through! You don't know me, yet.” the girl said back with a tone of relief. She sounded about his age, maybe a bit younger. 

“What is your name?” he asked. “Juliet. or , just Julie. One of the two. I need you to listen to me carefully.” Juliet started. He nodded, “loud and clear, Julie!”

“Your life is a-”

*

Drip, drip….drip drip…drip drip..drip.

“Charlie! Charlie! Charles!” Sneeg yelled, shaking Charlie back to reality. “Wait! Wait!” he called, reaching for the faucet. “What? What, Charlie, what! Just tell me!” Sneeg asked. 

“I understood her! She was talking to me! She was telling me something important!”

“Who? Who, Charlie, Who ?”

Charlie was throwing his hands around exasperatedly, “Juliet! Juliet! She was talking to me!”. “God, Charlie! Pull yourself together!” Sneeg hissed, placing his hands on Charlie’s shoulders. “Dad’s gonna get this fixed, and we need to keep you awake…or else it’s gonna get worse. Like that. That wasn't real. There was no girl’s voice. It was just water dripping from the sink.” Sneeg explained to him before gently hugging him. “I'm so sorry this is all happening to you.”.

“It’s ok. It can't get worse, I'll just get stronger.”

“We don't know that. But for now, we just need to be careful.”

*

Ranboo was in his room, drawing away as he listened to an artist called Lemon Demon. He was just happy to have a creative outlet while his older brothers and dad dealt with something important. His doodles made him happy as he drew things like a giraffe or even a bear robot named Freddy Fazbear. Sometimes, he’d show them to the particles, small, fuzzy, purple creatures that he would imagine. 

Sneeg knocked on his door and entered, which was Ranboo’s cue to take off the headphones. “You alright in here?” Sneeg asked softly. “Y-yeah, why? What's up? Did something big happen? Was the house on fire? Was I right?” he asked with a big, goofy grin. Sneeg came over by where he was drawing and sat down, ruffling his hair. “No, the house wasn't on fire, silly goose. But yeah, some serious things happened. Charlie is going through a lot, so maybe don't rough house with him for a bit, ok? He has a lot of bad scratches and stuff that dad is trying to help with.” Sneeg explained.

The seven year old made a small ‘O’ with his mouth before nodding. “I understand…anyways, look! I drew Febby!” he grinned, holding up the picture of Freddy with the words “Having the best time.”. Sneeg smiled, “wow! It’s so good! You’re such an artist.”.

“I love Febby! He’s just so cool and babygirl!” he giggled, making Sneeg look shocked. “I'm guessing Charlie taught you that word, too?”. 

“Yeah! I think it’s a funny word! Like, I could say that you are so babygirl!” Ranboo smiled. “I guess you could, yeah.” Sneeg shrugged. “But, hey, let's go try to help Charlie have a good day, ok?”

“Yeah!” Ranboo cheered.

Chapter Text

It was nearly impossible for Sneeg to sleep that night. Restless nights turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. He couldn't stop worrying about the safety of his brothers.

Charlie’s condition was getting worse, father still hadn't come back. One of the mornings, Charlie woke up with a blood-curdling scream. It was a mix of Horror and pain as another scar appeared. He vividly remembered the white shirt Charlie was wearing turning a dark red as a gnash opened on his gut, as if something tried to cut him open. Another night, another stitch, another pill. That was their routine. 

Sneeg would yell at Father over the phone when nobody could hear, saying things like “You lying, death cheating, BASTARD!”. He had good reason to hate him, Father lied to him. He said he’d be back to fix the problem, where was he now?  Now, he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling with a scowl. He could hear Charlie tossing and turning, pissed off that he couldn't help him. Sneeg got up, leaving their room and going to test the door, bringing his notebook and a flashlight with him in case some weird shit went down.

Placing his hand on the door, he took a deep breath before turning the handle. Outside the door, there was….nothing. Just the forest. “God dammit! Fucking hell!” he groaned, punching the door frame. The forest fell silent, which was hella unusual. ‘What the fuck?’ he thought, his grip tightening on the notebook. 

It was enticing, maybe it had something to do with his suspicions. Nevertheless, he walked outside, out to the silent woods. He clicked on the flashlight, slightly shaking in fear. ‘ Afraid? I don't need to be afraid. It’s just the woods. I know this place like the back of my hand. ’ he thought to himself, looking around. “Hello?” he called, hearing his own voice echo around. “Dad, I swear to god if this is you! I will fucking kill you!” 

No response, just dead silence.

Sneeg couldn't help but feel eyes on him, but he just prayed it was the animals. There were nocturnal animals out, right? “Fucking hell. This shit is freaky.” he muttered to himself. As he walked, his footsteps filling the silence, he tried to look strong in case anything tried to jump out at him. He didn’t know how he was so scared in a place he knew so well.

When he got close to a rocky section near a small creek, his light bounced off of something. “What the fuck?” he muttered, going to check it out. As he got closer, it appeared to look like some sort of semi-broken mask. “Oh my fucking god.” Sneeg muttered, running to it and picking it up, dusting it off, and flashing his light on it to look at it easier. 

It honestly looked like Father’s pin, the one that had the weird symbol on it. “What the fuck?” he whispered, “there is no way this is fucking real.”.  Suddenly, a twig snapped, making Sneeg look up, dropping his flashlight and running. It could have just been an animal, that was the only logical reasoning. The only logical reason. 

He kicked open the front door and slammed it as soon as he was inside, locking it and moving the couch to keep it barricaded. Charlie ran out with a baseball bat, “Get out, Motherfuckers-Sneeg?” 

“Charlie holy fuck!” he whispered shakily, hugging him close. “Oh my god, are you ok? What happened? You’re shaking…” Charlie whispered, gently hugging back, visibly worried and confused. “That doesnt matter right now. I found something, I found it. Charlie, this proves everything.” Sneeg said, pulling away and showing him the broken mask. “I found this in the woods. I-It doesn't make sense, but…”. 

“Holy fuck…you’re sure this is fucking real?” Charlie asked quietly, taking the mask and examining it closely, bringing it into the kitchen and putting it under the light to see it better. “Yeah, duh. You’re holding it-”

“No shit, Sherlock! But I could be dreaming right now. You don't know how real the nightmares feel, man.” he snapped, seething. Sneeg sighed and put his hands up, “sorry, touchy subject. Yes, this is real. All of this is real. I-I knew shit was going on behind our backs, but this is crazy. This is insane .”

Charlie sighed, “Yeah, tell me about it…are we still planning on keeping this a secret?”. Sneeg nodded, combing his hands through his hair, “As much as I want Ran to know about this, I can't. He’s just a kid. He doesn't have to deal with this, he shouldn't have to be dealing with this.”. Charlie hummed in agreement as he continued to examine and prod the object, muttering to himself as he worked. Taking this as a cue, Sneeg ran to go get Charlie’s notepad. 

By the time he got back, his brother looked visibly shocked. ‘ Fuck, is it another episode?’ he panicked, rushing to his side. He began trying to check him to make sure he was okay, but Charlie just slapped his hand away. “Sneeg! Sneeg! I'm fine…in a way…look. I found something.” he assured with a shaky breath. He moved his hand in the mask, as if looking for what he found again. Suddenly, there was an audible click . 

“What?” Sneeg muttered, confused. “A normal mask shouldn't have a clicky doodad.” Charlie muttered. 

“Yeah, but what is it? Where did you find it in the mask? Maybe it used to light up, or maybe it was a voice changer, or-”

“No, man, It’s near the temple. I think when the mask gets put on, it hits the button which creates some sort of reaction.” Charlie explained. “And there’s only one way to test this, unfortunately. i don't know what else we could use, but its just me and you.” 

Sneeg tensed up as Charlie brought it to his face, and he snatched it out of his hands. “No, if anyone’s gonna do it, it’s me. I'm the oldest and if this thing is, like, a kill switch or something, we need you alive.” Sneeg explained. Charlie went to protest, but nodded, knowing he was right. “Ok, but if any weird stuff happens, I'm ripping it off you.”

Sneeg took a shaky breath before putting it on.

Click .

It felt like nothing happened at first.

At first .

Then, he felt himself get shocked, like a terrible headache. eventually, his senses dulled. it was like his mind went blank, everything was foggy. He forgot where he was, who he was, and what he was doing, but then other memories…flooded…in? Memories he didn't remember having. Maybe it was just the mask doing something, maybe? Before long, he felt his body fall backward as his vision clouded and the pace of the memories slowed down as if he were watching a movie.

*

Brendon sighed as he held Mark and Charlie. It is another cold night on the streets. They lay there with a ripped and tattered blanket draped over the three. Sneeg stayed awake while the other two were sound asleep, keeping watch in case anyone tried to hurt them. As soon as he began to slowly close his eyes, he felt a looming presence and then heard a soft, deep voice. 

“Are you lost, boy?” 

Sneeg’s eyes slowly opened to see a man with a clean, black suit, a red tie, and newly shined black shoes. His nearly black hair was smoothed back in a very rich-looking manner. His skin was a strange pale that looked nearly inhumane, but Brendon assumed it was his delusions. As if he looked too long, the man spoke again, “I asked you, are you lost?”. Brendon shook his head, trying to hide his friends. “Are they your brothers, child?” the stranger questioned. “N-no.” Brendon hissed, trying to keep his voice quiet so Charlie and Mark could sleep.

“Oh? Then what brings you out on the streets if you aren't lost, boy?” the man smugly smiled. Brendon held his stare with the stranger for a good few minutes before he grumbled and quickly averted eye contact. Sitting Up straighter, he answered quietly, “Ok, maybe we are a bit lost. But we don't need your help. We know where we are going.” 

“But do you?”

“Yes! Yes, we do! Now get the fuck out of here!” he screamed. One of the younger kids lightly moved in their sleep, making Brendon get nervous. The last thing he wanted to do was to wake them up, especially talking to a stranger.  “Do you need a place to sleep? You seem awfully tired and exhausted, maybe even starving.” The strange man offered, holding out his hand. Every fiber of his being told him to not take the man’s hand, so he hesitated and tried to stall. 

“How can I trust you?” he snapped again. 

“Well, for starters, I am not one to leave young children, or any children, out in the cold. That would be just monstrous and barbaric. I want to help you. I can help you if you just tell me where you need to go.” 

Brendon went silent again, trying to continue the debate in his head. What should he ask? Was this man really offering help? Was he with the bad people?

Speaking again, the man asked, “I do have a few more questions, boy. First, what is your name? I am getting quite tired of just addressing you as ‘Boy’ or ‘child’.” 

“My name is Brendon…uhm…what is yours, I guess? I'm getting sick of this whole mysterious act of you not telling me your name.” 

The man thought for a moment before smiling and answering, “My name is….well, most call me the Founder. But to you, I guess you could call me ████████. ”. Brendon nodded, “ok, you said you had more questions. Keep going.”

“Why are you out here? Don't you have a home?”

The question sat with the kid for a while, it was a genuinely good question. To be honest, he didn't really know why he was here, himself. He didn't live in New York, he lived in Arkansas. “Well, I ended up here after…i don't know. But, I ended up in foster care because of it, and that's where I met Charlie. Mark was visiting and just…kinda got lost. So, he stayed with us. He says he knows where home is…and that we’ll be safe there, so we’re trying to get to his mom and dad.” he tried to explain. He wasn't good with words, after all, especially to strangers. 

████████’s smile seemed to falter as he sighed, “I am so sorry, young Brendon. I can do my best to help you, and I'll do everything in my power. Yet again, do you need a place to rest? My home isn't far from here.”. 

“No, we are-”

“I think it would be smart…” Charlie’s soft voice interjected, he was just waking up. “Charlie, just go back to sleep, I’ll deal with this.” Brendon mumbled. “No, I want to help you. Anyways, I can't sleep with you raising your voice every two seconds.” Charlie argued. 

“Do we have an answer?” ████████ asked, tilting his head. The two friends looked at each other, silently asking what to do before coming to an answer. 

“Yeah, fuck it.” Brendon muttered, taking the man’s hand.

*
“Sneeg! Sneeg! Wake the fuck up!” Charlie screamed, lightly slapping Sneeg’s face as he came to consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes as the blurry world around him came back to clarity along with his thoughts. Sneeg sat there, trying to recall the memory, but it had seemed to dissipate away like fog clearing, or like a forgotten dream. 

“What happened?” he asked softly, recollecting his surroundings while he looked around again. 

“Well, you were fine, then you fell and started twitching and shaking and jolting, so I  ripped it off. “ 

A silence filled the room as they stared at each other, “I saw something…but I instantly forgot it. I must have been..dreaming or something. All I know is that I am not putting that thing back on… I don't trust it after that.” Sneeg muttered. Charlie nodded, agreeing with a sigh, “Should we dispose of it?”

“No! No, this is our first clue to our theory!” Sneeg quickly interjected, feeling like he was finally on the right track. This mask meant something, it had to. The younger looked at him with a confused glance, “I-ok? Uh, I guess we could hide it in our room. I just don't think it’s safe. I have all of the notes I need.”

“But what if something happens to them?” He asked, “We have our proof here, and that's good enough. Full stop.”

Charlie sighed and picked up the mask, taking it to their room and hiding it somewhere only he would know of, feeling a heavy distrust of Sneeg’s choices with it. He had no reason to not trust his own brother, but it was always nice to be safe.  As soon as he was done, he crawled into bed again and at least tried to get some sleep. 

Sneeg had stayed downstairs, muttering to himself about what they were going to do. He himself did not know what he was going to do with this information. That mask for sure did something, but why couldn't he remember it? What was he missing? Why is this thing here in the first place?

 Oh, he was gonna have a “friendly chat” with father later, that's for sure. His questions were not getting answers, his demands were not being met, and that man kept breaking promise after promise after promise .  He groaned as he threw a strong punch at the closest wall, “Why doesn't anything make FUCKING SENSE ?!”. The pain from his fist hurt quite much, seeing as he threw the blow with all of his might, and he felt a small trickling feeling from his knuckles. “God damnit.” he muttered, shaking his wrist and going to get the medical supplies for himself, for once. 

As he walked past the living room,  he looked at a painting near the wall and stared at it for a while. “Huh…that’s an odd painting.”.

Nevertheless, he got his hand bandaged up, preparing for a lecture from Ranboo and Charlie in the morning. Again, he couldn't shake off the ever-so-enticing feeling of the mask.

Maybe he shouldn't have put that fucking thing on.

Making his way to his room, he sat in his bed and watched Charlie sleep for a little while before lying down, angry that he couldn't do anything. The whole situation pissed him off, it was like he was just supposed to sit and watch their suffering, but that was the last thing he wanted to do.

He groaned and pulled his blanket over his head and turned to look away before closing his eyes and beginning his slumber. ‘ Things will get better in the morning. ’

+

+

+

Sneeg opened his eyes to see a new plain, nothing like the Mall he was in the night before. This plain was a large, vast beach. It didn't look the slightest bit normal, with the sand being a rose gold tint. The sky was a reddish pink as well, stretched and arched upwards, like a dome. Seagulls cawed around, but none were to be seen. Each dream meant something, he knew that. Sneeg read it in a book once. 

It was beautiful.

He walked towards the water, dipping his hand in it. It was like a liquid sunset, gorgeous and warm. He scooped some of it up to examine it, seeing the small sparkles that were littered around. “What does this mean?” he asked himself out loud. The area around had a slight smell of floral scents and the salt from the ocean in front of him. 

The waves of the ocean sang as they crashed against each other in a rhythmic way as the wind rushed and danced like a melody no longer understandable. Everything was so tranquil, like a well-deserved break from the horrors that had been the past month. Sneeg sat down, closing his eyes and just taking it all in, slowing his breathing and focusing on the sounds around. 

Nothing bad could get him here, and he knew that. It was an odd feeling of security that alerted him of that. 

+

+

+

Charlie, on the other hand, wasn't given the chance to rest peacefully. He was again suffering, watching as Sneeg fought for him and Ranboo, clutching a bat as he swung at the masked figures. “Get out of here! Go!” He demanded, taking the hits thrown at him. Charlie nodded and took Ranboo’s hand, dragging him out of the area, and running his legs off. He could hear footsteps behind him as they echoed in the halls of the corridors.

“Charlie, they’re catching up!” Ranboo screamed, running out of energy from all of the running. “I know, I know! Just keep going!” Charlie cried out, looking for ways out. Why here? Why always here? Why couldn't he dream about being somewhere else, somewhere pleasant? 

Ranboo screamed as he tripped, falling and twisting his ankle. Charlie quickly lifted him into his arms, continuing to run, even though his legs protested against him. “You can't run forever!” A familiar voice bellowed with a laugh, taunting them. 

“Shut the fuck up!” Charlie screamed, continuing his attempted escape. When the exit sign came into view, Charlie was tackled from the side, skidding across the floor as Ranboo tumbled. “Run! Ranboo, run!” Charlie screamed to the kid, earning a nod as he ran away. Charlie felt a harsh foot stomped into his chest and held him in place with a laugh. “Again? Really? How many times do I have to stop you until you understand that you can't just waltz on out of here?” the masked man asked. “Fuck you! Fuck you! I don't even know why I'm here! Let me go!” Charlie screamed, thrashing around. “God dammit, I wish you three would give up easily. But no, we have to keep resetting you . Children, I swear.” Hetch hummed. “Eh, a show’s a show and this is gonna hurt.” 

Before he could answer, he felt a piercing pain in his gut again and watched as the foot moved to his head, quickly stomping hard with a loud Crack. 

*

Charlie woke up with a scream, clawing at his face, thrashing around wildly. Sneeg leaped out of bed and ran to him, trying to stop him from injuring himself. “Charlie, Charlie, it’s ok!” he assured, trying to help calm the panic attack. “It hurts! It hurts!” he sobbed, clinging onto the older’s shirt, the post-night terror-adrenaline wearing off. 

“Charlie, it’s ok, it’s not real. It didn't happen. Do you see any new scars?” Sneeg asked softly, noticing the difference. Usually, when Charlie woke up from these, there was a new wound to heal, but there was nothing this time. Interesting . “N-no, I don't…” Charlie said, his breathing slowing again. 

“Good, see, it’s ok. Everything is okay.” Sneeg whispered, holding him in a protective embrace. He was going to find a way to get these horrors to stop. He had to, it was gnawing at him inside. Father still refused to answer his questions, and it was beginning to become even more unbearable. 

It may drive him to do something irrational. Sighing, he walked Charlie out of their room and got him something to eat, just to settle the poor kid’s nerves. Maybe it would help him go back to sleep? Either way, it was a bullshit situation. This whole month was bullshit, everything was bullshit. It was bullshit that Charlie’s condition was “Normal”, it was bullshit that it would take Father this long just to get a cure, it was bullshit that Sneeg couldn't do anything to help.

And Sneeg was fed up with it.

“Charlie, stay here, I'm calling dad.” Sneeg softly ordered, standing up from his seat next to Charlie. He sluggishly walked to the home phone, still extremely tired from waking up at what appeared to be 2:00 A.M. When he dialed the phone and the connection picked up, he had to hold back yelling at the top of his lungs. It would be a shame if Ranboo had to wake up at this ungodly hour as well. 

“Hello?” Father asked over the phone. “Where the fuck are you? Where have you been for the past three fucking months ?” Sneeg seethed, his grip so tight on the phone that it made his knuckles turn white. “Sneeg, my son-”

“No, no, you are going to fucking answer me. Where have you been? Why haven't you done anything to help Carlie? Why have you done nothing? What is more important than your own son’s suffering?” Sneeg snapped, cutting the man off. “Sneeg, if you would just let me finish-”

“I’m fucking tired! I'm fucking tired of having to watch him wake up screaming, in pain, and nothing but traumatized from whatever hell-sent nightmares he is dealing with! I’m tired of living off of nothing but two hours of sleep! I’m fucking tired !” Sneeg hissed, tears threatening to fall. He wanted it to all stop. He couldn't handle it anymore.

“Brendon. Let me speak. I know it’s rough, but you have to trust me. I think I have found it, but I must take at least a few more days.” Father calmly answered, not even a waver in his voice. “This is real fucked up, you know?” Sneeg muttered under a chuckle, shaking his head slightly. Father’s sigh could be heard over the phone, most likely shaking his head on the other side of the phone in a tired manner. 

“I'm aware, my son. I'm very aware. You have to trust that I'm trying, Sneeg. It’s all about trust. You need to hold on for a while longer, ok? Can you do that for me? For Charlie?”

The brunette growled again, his grip on the phone making his knuckles white. “Fine, but make it quick. I can't take it anymore. Fix this or else I will kill you myself.”

With that, the phone on the other side of the line hung up, leaving Sneeg more mad than before the call. Every answer was nothing but cryptic bullshit!  “Sneeg?” Charlie called nervously, probably still shaken up from the nightmares. 

“Coming, Charlie.” He sighed, walking into the room. When he entered, Charlie had made himself a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of Minute-Maid lemonade. He sat down next to his brother and sighed, “What was it about this time if you mind me asking?”. The brunette fidgeted nervously, but still answered,

“You were getting attacked by people wearing that mask, ya know the one you found out in the woods.”

 “Yeah.” Sneeg shivered, picturing that thing as the last face he’d see. That was a great thought, totally. Charlie continued, “You told me and Ranboo to run, so we did. I got tackled and separated from Ranboo, so I told him to run, so he did. The guy was there again, Do you remember the one whose name I can never remember? Yeah, he pinned me down with his foot, said something about how we can't just ‘waltz out of here’ and something about ‘resetting.’ then he said ‘a show’s a show.’ and I think he stabbed me in the gut then stomped my head, and that's where it ended.” 

Sneeg sat in silence, trying to piece it all together, this seemed absolutely terrifying. It surprised him that Charlie hadn't already lost his mind, he knew he would have. Anybody in their right mind would have by this point. Nightmares could be consistent, but this was every night. Every single night, it was the same man in his nightmares, and it always ended in pain. 

How could he help in a way that was healthy? Charlie had tried to avoid sleeping, but that also never worked and it took a great health toll on him. They tried sleep pills, but those made it worse. 

What had they not tried yet?

He tried to think. No, everything was going to escalate the problems. 

A solution never found its way to his head, and it was surely starting to piss him off, why could nothing work like they used to back when they were Ranboo’s age? Why couldn't they just live happily again and never worry about the mysterious scars or the mental trauma that came with them?

Something just wasn't sitting right with him. 

“Charlie, I have a question and I don't know if it will work, but it's an idea.” Sneeg started, running his hands through his hair. “Anything at this point. What is it?” Charlie asked. “Try….you say you can control your dreams to an extent, right? If you can, try to manipulate it like a lucid dream. Perhaps, that may allow you some time for peaceful rest.” he suggested, shrugging. It could work, yes, but it was a slim chance. He didn't yet know the extent of how much Charlie could manipulate the vivid night terrors. If it worked, how long would it hold out for? These were questions he didn't yet know if he wanted answers. For now, he needed to see what worked and what didn't.

But what if this didn't work? What’s the next plan and action? 

‘ Shut up, stupid thoughts. ’ he snapped, trying to clear his thoughts. A loud head won't do him any good than if he has a clear mind. This was the time to think rationally.

“I could try my best, it's just…I don’t know. What if nothing happens, or I accidentally go somewhere worse?” Charlie asked.

“We’ll try again, with a new method.” 

“Ok…I trust you.”

Trust is a funny thing. It can make people do the stupidest things for the sake of that they ‘trust’ you with their life, or with other’s lives, or with something important. Trust is truly something of an interesting concept we pride ourselves on and take for granted, but it isn't completely a false hope. It can bring people the courage to think someone has their back. 

And courage is what the boys needed the most. 

Because from here, things would only get worse…

And worse…..

And worse…….