The Ultimate Betrayal (An Inkmare Story)

Chapter 5 - Companionship

                      Just a warning, don't read this chapter if you don't like angst

Nightmare was spacing out, he had tried to read The Great Gatsby for the fourth time, but he couldn't focus. he had gotten up early in the morning, more because of the nightmares than anything else, to do absolutely nothing. Normally, he would be preparing some sort of breakfast for his boys or planning a raid on an AU. 'Everything I did revolved around them, and now that they're gone I have nothing left.' he thought to himself. He had been cooped up inside of his mansion for to him felt like forever, 'I just want, need someone to talk to. I feel like I'm going insane.' He stood up from the library floor and walked through the doors. 'No one would talk to me though, the king of negativity! I wouldn't even want to!' His now only singular tentacle attempted to lash out, only to just flop once and then go limp on the ground. He sighed as he entered into the living room, 'I'm just sitting here wasting my days away. . . I wish I could go back to the old days.' He then fell onto the couch and lay there, 'I'd actually look forward to waking back then huh.' He looked up and reached for the TV remote. 'I wonder what's on for today?' He wondered as he started flipping through the channels one by one, he eventually ended up on a news channel, where he saw a news reporter in front of a big building with a broken window.

"We have been told by a senior director that one of the patients in this insane asylum, one that can travel AU's has escaped!" The Muffet reported said with shock,

"Yes!" replied the Papyrus next to her with a worried expression, "Make sure to report any suspicious activity in your AU to this number displayed on the screen! This will take you to the council's emergency hotline!" The papyrus exclaimed.," And make sure to be safe everyone!"

"The asylum hasn't put out a description for the individual, but the senior director has told us that the individual is very dangerous, and could potentially wreak havoc on an AU." The Muffet explained, "We will cut to the Star Sanses meeting, where they will hopefully reveal a plan to catch this person." The footage then cut to a stage with a podium in the middle, and in the corner, a timer appeared counting down from 30.

'That's just great' Nightmare thought to himself, 'I get to see my brother talk about a nutjob escaping like it's the biggest threat to the multiverse ever!' as the timer counted down the audience grew more impatient, 10... 9... 8... 7...

'If this news channel was around when my gang was around they wouldn't have ever shown up to the AU' He thought with nostalgia.

6... 5... 4... 3...

Nightmare sat up on the couch, eager to see his brother and his former teammates. 'I hope I get to see them, I just want to see them again. Please!' he wished with all his soul.

2... 1...

*Knock* *Knock* Knock*

Nightmare turned, 'That wasn't the TV, right?' he thought as he turned off the TV. He was sure it wasn't the TV, but who would ever visit him? 'Maybe it's the-'

*Knock* *Knock* Knock*

He was now panicking, looking around for any sort of weapon. 'I can't even use my tentacles anymore! What should I do? What should I do?' Nightmare's mind was racing, he wanted to hide but he knew that the insane monster outside his door would eventually find him and try to kill him. He ran to the kitchen and grabbed a knife from a drawer. 'I've never used a knife but maybe I can scare them away with it-'

*Boom!*

"EK!" Squeeked Nightmare on accident, who then immediately covered his mouth. The noises had stopped, 'Oh Stars! They know someone's here! I'm so dead!' He thought while his stomach dropped. He slowly inched back towards the front door while holding the knife, trying to be as quiet as he could.

"N-Nightmare? Are. . . Are y-you home?" asked a soft voice from the other side. Nightmare was completely confused, who was this? Why had they come here trying to find him?

"Uhh. . . Yes. . . yes! I'm home!" Nightmare answered back louder than he wanted, he was still scared of who might be out there. "Who are you?! And why did you try to break into my house!" He shouted more courageously hearing the soft voice.

"I'm sorry." replied the voice even more softly, "I'm sorry I'm so so sorry." Nightmare could make out a faint sniffle, 'Are they crying?!' he asked himself, 'Why are they crying when they had just tried to break in?' He slowly reached toward the door handle. *thump* He jumped back and gasped.

"Step back from the door! I have a knife!" He shouted, 'I don't know what to do, can I even call the number on the TV? Would they even show up?' "I'm warning you!"

"Please don't hurt me Nightmare!" the voice begged, "I don't want to be hurt! Not again, never again!"

"Who are you!" Nightmare asked loudly, 'I need to scare him off, the moment he sees me he'll try to rush me and-'

"Ink! . . I'm ink, now please don't hurt me! I don't have anything! Please just don't hurt me!" Nightmare then slowly crept back up to the door and cracked it open, only to be greeted by a thin, bruised, and broken-looking Ink. Not the one he was used to.

"Why are you here?" Nightmare was shaken.

"I'm scared. I don't know where to go! They all hurt me!" Ink cried with tears streaming down his face. 'Unless he got really good at acting, he's definitely telling some sort of truth' He opened the door wider to get a full look at him. What he saw horrified him.

"Holy shit Ink!" he opened the door fully revealing himself, "What happened! Oh forget it I have bandages in the bathroom!" Nightmare was now panicking for a whole different reason, Ink was covered in blood and scabs, and there were even cracks on most of his bones. Ink also wasn't wearing anything more than dirty rags.

"Okay, just please don't hurt me," replied Ink relieved, while Nightmare dashed as fast as he could to the bathroom. 'Oh my stars what happened to him!' he thought frantically while finding the first aid kit. 'Who'd do such a thing! it's like they tortured him!' He ran back to Ink, who was now crying on the floor.

"It hurts so bad, please help me nightmare, please! Please!" Ink yelled in pain.

"I'm right here okay?" He reassured Ink as he dipped a cotton ball into some medical alcohol, "Focus on my voice alright? and don't talk unless you need to, and don't pull away from me." he was used to caring for his teammates but this was an entirely different level. He started to dab the alcohol-soaked cotton ball onto the scratches and cracks on his leg and started to wrap them. As he got further and further up the body he noticed something missing. "Holy shit! Ink where's your hand!?" Ink only wailed in response, "It's only gonna hurt for a little bit longer okay?" Nightmare's heart broke, this was awful, who could ever do this?

"Y-y-you p-prom-mised" Ink blabbered through his sobs, only making Nightmare's heart break even more.

"I know, I know," Nightmare answered him while continuing to bandage his arm, "It's only for a little bit, you can do that right?" Ink shook his head "no" in response clearly not wanting to be hurt anymore. Nightmare only had his head to bandage up, "C'mon Ink, just this bit okay?"

Pl-p-ple-as-se... d-do-don't. I-It-It h-hur-ts t-to-oo m-m-much." He managed to sob out to Nightmare.

"I'm so... so, sorry Ink, but I have to do this," Nightmare felt his stomach drop again, he hated every part of this. "Please understand." His tears started to pool at the bottom of his eyes, 'who'd do such a thing!' he thought as he took a deep breath, picked up a cotton ball, and started to dab his skull.