Chapter Text
All day Tommy thought he could hear something, but he ignored it. After all, it was easy to lose your mind in the caves. When he finally emerged, the feeling of being watched remained. Tommy could sense something lurking in the shadows, but he couldn't see anything.
It was late and he had just returned from a day of resource gathering. He was tired and hungry, eager to get home.
From the corner of his eye he saw something move. It was just for a moment , but it was enough to set his hair on end.
It was just his imagination, he told himself. There was nothing to be afraid of.
Right?
As he approached his home, he could see torches in the distance.
Shadows danced across the grass, silhouettes flickering in the light. the rustle of plants could be heard as the wind swirled through the night.
Tommy clutched his bag closer to his chest, speeding up his pace. Then he heard a snapping sound behind him. He broke into a sprint, his heart beating in his chest.
In a rush to get inside, he flung open the door. He barely remembered to lock it before he collapsed on the floor out of breath. He was sweating and trembling. His hands were shaking. His eyes wide and frantic. He tried to calm himself, but the feeling of unease persisted, he was just being paranoid. There was no one there, there was no one watching him. He was safe. There was no one left to hurt him. It was just his imagination.
He went over the things Puffy had taught him.
Breathe in, Breathe out.
Remember what`s reality, and what is your imagination. Stick to the facts.
Fact one: you are in a safe place, no one can hurt you in your own home.
Fact two: You are tired, and you need to rest. Exhaustion can make you paranoid.
Fact three: He was still in prison.
He finally picked himself up, just calm enough to make his way to his bed. He was still trembling. Legs shaking like a new born fawns. He nearly tripped over a discarded shirt.
He sat on his bed, tucked himself under his big red blanket, and finally let himself relax closing his eyes.
He`d barely shut his eyes when he heard something. Scratching. He sat straight up in his bed, his mind racing.
This had been going on for a few weeks, every other day he heard the scratching.
Whenever he plucked up the courage to investigate, it would stop. Then just as he was finally back to sleeping normally it would start again.
Tommy couldn't go back to sleep, it was louder than usual. Tommy was certain that if he pressed his hand against the wall he would feel it. He didn't want to take that chance. He lay there for a few minutes, praying to Prime that it would stop.
He lay there for hours, waiting. He couldn't take it any longer. He was tired of not being able to sleep in his own home. The noise was a constant ringing in his ears. It wouldn't stop. He jumped out of bed in a fit of crazed adrenaline and frantic courage, nearly collapsing on discarded sheets and clothes. He hadn`t changed from yesterday, still in the clothes he had worn before. He didn't grab anything on his way out.
He flung open his door, only to be met by someone on the other side. Waiting for him.
Tom, or as they were better known, John, had shown up rather suddenly one day. They immediately gravitated towards Tommy. He had found it weird at first. After all, there was no one that he was close to anymore. No one had seen Quackity in weeks, Sam was preoccupied with warden stuff, uncle Tech and him were not on good terms, Phil in his usual fashion was nowhere to be seen and Wilbur was... gone. Even Tubbo had grown distant from him.
Tommy had assumed that once he returned from exile everything would be back to normal. And they were, for a while. They stood united against Dream, but the moment that he was put away it was as if a veil had been drawn over the two, they were back to walking on eggshells around each other. Afraid to shatter their slowly rekindling friendship.
Then came John. They'd been bold and confident around Tommy. And they had gotten on like a house on fire. It felt as if they had been friends for years. It was a relief to Tommy to see someone that he could talk to, someone that could understand him. It was nostalgic having a best friend like that again.
"Hey Tommy!" John called out to him, breaking his train of thought.
"John, hi. What are you doing here? Its real early." Tommy tried to hide his surprise.
The light seemed to make John`s usually beady black eyes glow.
"Ah, just wanted to hang out with my favourite person." John laughed.
That didn't answer Tommy`s question. There seemed to be something off about John.
"Oh, how long have you been here?" Tommy took in the rest of their appearance. Their usually pristine overalls were covered in dirt and grime. The bottom was ripped and their red and white shirt was torn across one sleeve.
"A while." Their answer was quick and to the point. They looked annoyed, their grin slowly morphing. Alarm bells went off in Tommy`s head. Something deep within him told him to run. Something told him that they were dangerous. But that couldn`t be true, they were his friend. They were someone he could trust.
Right?
"I`m sorry I have to go, I have a.. thing with Tubbo soon." Tommy had no idea why he had lied to them, but by the time he had finished he had already turned and was walking away.