AN: Very first Homestuck and/or Hunger Games fanfic! Go easy on me.

So, scary nightmare from Gamzee's past. Oooooh. Mysteeeerious. Turns out to be very important later on, so keep it in mind. 8D

I wrapped my trembling arms around my legs and pressed them to my chest.

I couldn't see anything. I didn't want to see anything. And I didn't want anybody—anything—to see me.

Especially not him.

I pressed my cold cheek to my knees. My heart beat was loud. Wild. Fluttering and flopping, as if it were tumbling down the side of a jagged cliff—and at the base of the cliff, a battalion of sharp rocks turned their points to face it.

It dawned on me then. That was all that was left for me. A horrible, sticky end. And I would've cried then, if it weren't for the paralyzing fear that gripped me. My blood had already run cold, and a dark, malevolent hand had begun to curl its morbid fingers around my beating heart, waiting for that moment it could crush it and allow me to finally die.

There was no doubt in my mind now. I wanted to die. If only to get that blood-curdling scream out of my head.

Creak.

I froze.

Creak.

The footsteps sent a fresh wave of dread through me. I struggled to quiet my breathing, which had become loud in the horrible silence. I steadied my gaze on the blackness in front of me, and held my breath.

Thump.

I covered my mouth with clammy hands and tried not to scream.

The creaking stopped, and I knew he found me. He was waiting outside of those doors. His manic smile swept through my thoughts, rendering me incapable of movement. If he opened those doors, I wouldn't be able to fight back.

His breathing was choppy and ragged. There was something primal about it, something so horrifically bloodthirsty about it. I could imagine the crimson splattered all across his bland, grey slacks that he so loved.

Something landed on the wooden floor with a thud, followed by a sickening, muffled splash. He dropped something.

Despite me, a single tear trickled down my flushed cheeks.

Was he standing in a pool of his blood?

Time stopped. I felt the frigid closet air running up and down my spine, but I refused to move. I couldn't move, anyway. I could feel his presence outside the door, waiting for me to give myself up, so that he could lop off my head the moment I stepped into the silvery moonlight. It would be so easy.

But I waited.

I waited for a long time, cooped up inside that wretched closet. I would not move. I had become a statue, depicting the true epitome of terror; my hunched back, my white-knuckled hands, my fetal position was proof enough.

I didn't move until somebody opened the doors and snatched me away.

I sat upright, hands flailing, eyes popped open wide. The sting of the morning sun burned my wavering vision, still fighting off waves of sleep. But I was up, and there was no way I was going back to sleep.

The memory was still fresh in my mind—I could conjure accelerated breathing just by thinking about thinking of the memory—and it only worsened in nightmares. The shadows were taller, the corners darker, my clothing bloodier, the footsteps closer.

I shivered.

"Miracles," I whispered. It was the only explanation as to how I was alive today.

I was debating sitting in bed for another ten minutes when the sound of my name was thrown across the drafty room by a coarse, indignant holler, followed by an impressive string of colourful language that could make a sailor blush.

Karkat's head appeared around the doorway, wrenched into a foul snarl, as per typical. Seeing it, I allowed a sleazy grin to stretch across my face. He always knew how to brighten my day—by being there.

The grin set off another set of curses under his breath. "Gamzee, I swear, I am going to starve you to death. Get up." He disappeared around the corner, leaving me to my own devices—of course, that meant ignoring Karkat's orders and sitting in bed for another ten minutes to dream about something particularly sunshine-y and rainbow-y and smiles-and-happiness-y.

Ten minutes later, I sauntered into the kitchen, barefoot and as hungry as a bear. Karkat had already tucked himself behind the wooden table.

"Eat," he said. "And then we're heading to the square."

"Huh?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Did you forget? Today is the Reaping Day."

Oh.