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Tommy got out and ran, that much was apparent, the house was void of any other people, every usual hiding spot Tommy could have used was empty. There was no way he could’ve gotten ahold of an invisibility potion either; all potions were brewed and kept in a separate structure for that very reason. So the only conclusion was that he’d left, not that Dream could really blame him, he made it obvious in exile that he was a flight risk, really, it was Dream’s own fault for leaving the door unlocked and turning his back, no matter how short of a time it was.
It didn’t really matter either way, Tommy would be right back where he was supposed to be before sundown, whether he thought so or not. It was funny, just how little of a person you needed to revive them, sure, a body or even a ghost made the process faster, simpler. But just about anything that held their DNA was enough, and Dream had plenty by now, through weeks of deaths and revivals.
The book of death helped as well. It was difficult to get from Sapnap, Dream had almost died for good there, but somehow he managed to succeed, but in the end, he had another book to add to his collection, and Sapnap was down a life. Then it was just a matter of seeing what the exact limitations of the book were, re-recruiting his favorite two lab rats was the perfect solution for that. Now, one might assume that it would be far more convenient to just practice using it on Tommy, he was already right there, and Dream had long since made true to his threat to kill and revive him over and over. But that was only because he knew he could bring Tommy back . He had to make sure he could use the books one after the other on the same person before he ever tried using the death book on Tommy.
Now that he knew, though, he wouldn’t have to worry, he could use the books in tandem without a care in the world.
Dream sighed, and made his way out of the house. It was cozy, if he felt like bragging. The house was the actual living space, complete with bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen, but that was it. Everything else that was considered a necessity for a proper base though, was kept in separate structures that had been hidden underground.
He would have built them above ground, for ease of access, but the reason there were separate buildings in the first place was to keep Tommy out of them, and Dream wasn’t cruel , he wouldn’t bar Tommy from ever going outside. Of course, there were still limits, to stay in the boundaries set by the fence that encircled the area, and he couldn’t leave the house unless Dream was there to keep watch. That wasn’t just so Dream would know if he tried to run (of course that was still part of it), it was also to protect him, monsters could make their way in at any time, after all, and Tommy had little more than gardening tools, and even that was on rare occasions.
Call him a hypocrite if you want, for trying to prevent any further deaths for Tommy, but so far, he had been the only one in the world to kill the boy. He wasn’t about to lose that title to a walking husk of a person.
He kicked aside a pile of leaves under a tree, revealing the trapdoor hidden underneath, pulling it open to climb down a ladder. The tunnel quickly opened into a wide room, spruce floors and stone brick walls, which were opened in several areas by deepslate archways.
Dream made a beeline for the enchanting room, pulling open the enderchest nestled in the corner. He pulled out the books and let the chet slam shut. He went to the small storage room next, rifling through a barrel for what was needed. He smiled at the small vial of thick red liquid, now with everything he needed in hand, he left the hidden bunker, making sure to re-cover the trap door with the leaves.
“Now then,” Dream muttered as he flipped open the book of death. “Let’s bring you home, Tommy.”
—
Blood was rushing to Tommy’s ears as his heart pounded with each step he took. He wasn’t sure how far he was from the main server, but he could bet it was pretty damn far. His lungs burned with each gasping breath he took and his eyes stung with the threat of tears.
He didn’t know how long he had been running for, but he didn’t want to stop, he couldn’t stop. This was his only chance to get away and he knew it. If he blew this, if he got caught, he knew he couldn’t see the light of day again. Dream wasn’t above chaining him up somewhere just so couldn’t escape, all he had to do was utter a threat, and at this point, Tommy would believe it, no matter how cruel or unusual it sounded. In fact, the more grotesque a threat sounded, the more Tommy was inclined to believe it, because that meant Dream had longer to think about it, the logistics of how to carry it out.
Pine needles crunched softly under each footfall. He would have to stop soon and try to find some food, otherwise he’d just starve to death, and wouldn’t that just be the stupidest way to be forced to be revived?
Tommy slowed his pace, taking a moment to catch his breath. Not for the first time, he wished he still had a communicator, if not to actually talk to someone, then at least to see how far he’d gotten and how far he had left to go. Unfortunately for him, that was one of the first things Dream had taken. Hell, he had taken it before even taking Tommy all the way out here.
The great thing about a spruce forest, was the abundance of berries. Usually, Tommy would cuss out the small fruit for being a pain to collect with little reward, but in a pinch, they were admittedly useful.
With an armful of berries, he made his way towards the sound of running water. The small creek he found was nice, if it weren’t for the fact that he was running for his life, he’d consider it as a nice place for a little getaway base. For now though, it would just have to serve as a place to rest his feet and catch his breath. He sat to rest against a large boulder, kicking his shoes off so he could soak his feet.
A small squeak had him cracking open an eye, and he couldn’t help but smile and the carefully approaching baby fox. He held out a small handful of berries to it, keeping his voice soft so it wouldn’t get scared.
“Hey there, little guy. You hungry?”
He dropped the berries with a sharp gasp, quickly reaching up to clutch at his heart. He tried to choke down a breath but it wasn’t working, it felt like he was disintegrating from the inside out. He keeled over, tears burning at his eyes he let out a silent scream, his lungs so useless, they could give nothing more than a wheeze of air.
Dark spots danced in the corners of his vision, and he wanted to sob. He was finally free, and now his body was just going against him to send him back to that fucking hell. He hated limbo. He hated it so fucking much. For all the times he’d been sent there, it never got better. He’d rather be forced to go through exile all over again than spend another day in the void.
It went against all of what he was hoping for, when he first stepped out the door, but now he couldn’t help but wish that Dream found him sooner rather than later as the world faded to black and he took one last, desperate gasp of air.
—
Air poured into Tommy’s lungs and he shot up, looking around blearily. The oak walls of the house became clear, ever familiar as he rapidly blinked. He was on the floor, that much was obvious from how uncomfortable it was.
There was a loud thump and his head snapped to where Dream was standing over him, revive book in hand. He crouched down next to Tommy, resting his arms on his knees and tilting his head.
“Welcome home, how far did you make it?”
Tommy blinked looking around the room, confused. “Wh- How? How did you even know I was- I wasn’t… there for that long, at least, I don’t think I was.”
Dream pushed his mask askew, letting the real smile he wore on his face show. “That’s nothing you need to know. I already told you, it doesn’t matter how far you try to go, you’ll alway end up right back here. That wasn’t a threat, Tommy, it was a promise. ”
Tommy flinched when Dream reached out a hand to ruffle through his hair, which no doubt had even more strands of white coating it. Then, he was hauled up off the floor by his arm.
“I do think it’s fair enough to say you won’t be allowed outside for a while after that stunt, though. You’ll be lucky if I don’t put another lock on the door.” He pulled Tommy into a side armed hug, leading the younger into the kitchen. “But I’ll let it slide, this time. It’s not like you actually tried that hard, nothing was broken, so there's no reason for repercussions on that front. You just need to remember that this place is what’s safest for you.”
Tommy looked out the window as nodded stiffly. “Yeah, sure…”
“You’ll realize that this is what’s best, for you, and everyone else. Eventually.”
It was a spoken inevitability, there wasn’t a way out, there wasn’t a way back home. In all honesty, it was just wasted energy, but that didn’t mean Tommy would just stop trying. Not so soon, at least. He wondered if Dream’s obsession with immortality would rein fruitful, if he would be trying to get away from this for eternity, if he would be successful, or if he would eventually just give up and give in.
The outcome didn’t really matter, in the end. If there was no real ‘key to immortality’ then he’d eventually end up stuck in limbo with Dream, and if there was, then he’d be trapped here, probably in this same house, forever.
“Guess so, but I’m not going to stop trying to get out of here yet.”
Dream smile only widened. “I would be disappointed if you did so soon. But you will.”
And that was final, the inescapable curtain call that would force him to stay on stage, just hidden.