Chapter Text
“Ohh Dream!”
George ran through the winding stone tunnels, struggling to keep his balance on the uneven rock floor. He could barely see five paces in front of him, but he knew Dream had to be around. The other hunters had trusted him to do this by himself, and he couldn’t let them down again. Especially after what happened last time.
His comfortable black boots displaced small rocks as he skidded around a corner, bracing one hand against the wall, which was growing brighter. His hand brushed against something soft, and he realized that the patch of stone was covered in creeping glow lichen, which provided him with just enough light to read the compass in his hand that pointed towards his target. Dead ahead.
He could hear footsteps now, and the clattering of pebbles. He was gaining on him. George wiped his forehead and sped up, ignoring the burning in his side. He could rest once Dream was caught.
He turned another corner and crashed into a lean body, nearly knocking him over. Dream had stopped in the middle of the tunnel, facing away from George.
Dream stumbled forward before righting himself, turning to face George, who drew his sword. But Dream wasn’t attacking. He raised a gloved finger to his lips, before pointing further down the tunnel, into a cave at the end.
The darkness seemed to cloak the cave like it was a living thing, stopping George from being able to make out any of the details, but it radiated a smell like decaying corpses and mould, which was enough to make George pause, feeling a spike of fear flood his brain.
George squinted into the dark, trying to figure out what was in there, when he accidentally sent a stone skittering out from under his foot. The sound seemed to start a chain reaction, and the whole cave came alive with an eerie trilling noise, momentarily lighting up with a disturbing blue gleam.
They both froze, George holding his breath.
Eight painful seconds passed, and nothing happened. He heard Dream let out a small sigh of relief from next to him. The two of them shared a look (well, as much as you can when one of you has a mask on), and started silently creeping back the way they’d come.
They seemed to have come to the same conclusion that the cave they’d found themselves in was not a place to try and fight. This was bigger than them.
George slowly and carefully retreated away from the creepy cavern, sensing rather than seeing Dream do the same right behind him. All was silent once more, except for a faint hissing. A faint hissing that was growing louder and louder. George paused. That didn’t make sense. What could possibly be making that noise? Unless-
“Shit” He heard Dream breathe, before everything exploded around them.