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Dream had been careful, too careful, on the brink of paranoia. With Tommy alongside him, that cautiousness turned hostile with Dream controlling each of the boy's movements. They had to survive for they must escape. Nothing lasted long in Dr. Charlie's labs whether they faded to mental decay or corroded from years and years of senseless torment.
The lab was dark and mostly silent aside from Tommy's heavy breathing and the mewls of those who had lost themselves. Dream could smell Tommy's fear, could feel him tremble. Tommy's tail coiled around Dream as he took his hand. Dream gave a gentle squeeze and released.
"Don't be such a baby, Tommy," Dream said. He, himself, had to be strong for the two of them. "There's nothing to worry about here."
Dream felt Tommy relax a little then tense again. He seemed too on edge to progress. Dream couldn't blame Tommy. He was naïve and innocent in regard to a lot of things, but Tommy wasn't stupid. Dream and Tommy both knew beyond the dark laid unspeakable horrors that would kill them both. Tommy stepped back when they heard a wet clacking gargle.
Tommy scoffed, jerking his tail away from Dream. "Nothing to worry about? Dream-- Dream there's... there's something that wants to eat us. You can go right on ahead. I am not becoming some kind of fuckin' weirdo's lunch," Tommy said.
Dream knew that Tommy would refuse.
In the dark, Dream snatched at Tommy, grabbing at whatever he could be it his shirt or neck.
Tommy yelped when Dream shoved him forward into the dark, his sneakers scuffing the floor as he tripped and fell with a plop.
Bright red alarms blared suddenly, the lights switching on above with a sizzling crack. The tendrils of the shadows pulled themselves beneath the lab doors aligning the hall, retreating to their safe darkness. At least now Dream knew which doors to avoid.
“What the absolute FUCK, Dream?” Tommy shouted as he sat up. “You think you can just push me around like that? Like what did that prove? Just so you can have some kind of sick laugh?” When he stood, his foot sunk down onto a pressure plate.
Before Dream could respond, the tiles of the floor gave way to them both, sending Dream’s heart crashing from build height to bedrock. Dream landed on his back, mask slipping off half his face from the impact of the blow. He groaned. Couldn’t Tommy watch where he was stepping?
“Maybe... maybe I shouldn’t have shoved you,” Dream said, sitting up. “But at least something broke our fall.”
“Uh, Dream?” Tommy said. “We landed on TNT.”
Dream’s blood went cold.
Fear that Dream had never felt before eclipsed his senses. One by one, the TNT blocks pulsed. Dream tore from his landing spot, jerking Tommy along by the wrist as each block began to detonate.
They were nearly at the ledge when Tommy tripped. Dream shouted and jerked him up. He couldn’t let Tommy die. He couldn’t. Tommy was the key for their escape. Dream pushed Tommy to the ledge as the TNT gave out beneath his legs, blowing up.
Hot searing pain shot through Dream’s body like electricity, burning his skin, singing his hair. He smelled gunpowder and melting flesh. Everything popped at once before he faded away into darkness.
_
When Dream woke up, Tommy hovered over him, face splotchy red. Had he been crying?
“D-Dream,” Tommy said, choking on his words. “Are you alright? You’re so burned. I’m sorry I... I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything.”
Dream raised a charred hand. The fingers were blackened, bone exposed at his middle knuckle. Blisters covered his forearms. How did he not die from that? There was so much TNT.
“I don’t mean to ... I don’t want to alarm you, Tommy,” Dream said, cupping Tommy’s dirty face. “But I can’t feel my legs.”