He was successful in finding unconsciousness, but he wasn't alone.
This dream let him look up at the ceiling. He glanced around and identified the fire place, green chair and dark red wall paper from Amnesia. He moved like the character did in the game, smoothly in an unrealistic reality.
The fire place brightened up the room enough so Mark could locate the lantern on the table. He picked up the oil as well, out of habit.
Each step towards the door was one Mark didn't want to take. Through many of the games, he knew the endings, how the game worked and what to expect.
But like the last nightmare, he couldn't simply wake up and get out of it. He had to play the game. He stared at the door and the soft glow of the fire was blown out by the wind rushing through it as is slowly opened.
Mark held up the lantern to light his path. He took a last glance around the room, he usually forgets something.
He spotted a small wooden box in the corner of the room by the foot of the dresser by the bed.
"Tim!" He rushed over and picked up the small item. As he held the small box, its eyes opened to reveal large blue eyes. A small smile formed below the eyes.
"I'll protect you Mark." Tim said in a quiet but affirmative voice. His little arms had stubby hands on the end that reached out for Mark's face.
Mark held him close and curled him in his arm to carry him safely. Mark knew he could move on now so he left the room and entered the dark hallway. One way led to a dead end, the other branched off into the rest of the mansion. He held his lantern up and walked down the dark hallway.
The walls displayed pictures of scratched faces. Something had scratched them. The frame had marks on it too, from whatever did that.
"Keep moving," Tim whispered, making Mark's arm tighten around him. Tim put his little hands on Mark's and looked ahead into the darkness then hid behind his hand.
Mark looked away from the painting and down the hall. Something moved from one side to the other. He took a step back and his leg hit a chair that slammed into the wall. The impact echoed down the hall. He let out a startled scream and stood still.
"Be quiet. You don't want them to find you." Tim said a bit louder.
Actually being in the game was very different from just playing. Mark usually jumps from his own shadow or screams until the thing goes away. He couldn't do that here. They could hear him from across the mansion. They could find him. Whoever they were.
When the mansion was silent once more, Mark moved again and stopped where the object moved. He turned to where it came from. He saw what Foxy just told him in his other nightmare.
It was written on the wall. It looked like it was written in blood. It dripped down the wall and pooled on the floor.
"What am I running from?" Mark wondered out loud. He turned around and bumped into something. He jumped back and stared at the golden mannequin that had moved in right behind him. He almost let out another scream. But it didn't move. Mark didn't want it to. He didn't take his eyes off it as he moved passed.
He turned tensely into the big room. The middle of the second floor had the staircase reaching down to the first floor and faced the pair of giant wood and steel doors. A lightning flash lit up the room and revealed a fox-like statue in the corner. It was standing up.
Mark moved again, bumped into the mannequin again and stepped back several feet, desperately suppressing the muffled scream of fear.
The face now had red eyes and the cruel smile from before.
Metallic screeching came from the corner as the fox ran passed Mark only to be thrown by the mannequin into the wall and onto the ground, never to move again.
"Finally," The voice spoke from the mannequin through his sharp teeth.
Mark froze, barely feeling Tim tug at his fingers. His fear of mannequins struck him more now than before. Mark backed up and tripped on the table, falling onto it and shattering it into long awkward, sharp pieces. Tim flew from his hands and landed somewhere in the darkness.
He looked out into the living room from where he lay. He could only breathe in short gasps and he tried not to scream as a sharp stabbing pain emanated from his lower back. He felt a pool of warm liquid grow on the ground by this pain. He was barely able hold back the scream he desperately wanted to release.
A bright glow swallowed the darkness, causing the mannequin to shield his eyes. Mark could barely move and couldn't react when two feet thundered into their spot behind him.
"You have part of a table sticking out of your back." The strong voice said. Mark felt his hand on his shoulder, next came the yank but no pain followed. "Stand up." This man said, practically picking up Mark.
Mark stood next to this new version of himself. The pink caped hero stood beside him, partially supporting him. His hand held onto Mark's back where the wood was pulled from. Slowly the pain went away.
"Where were you hiding?" The mannequin shouted, distracting the man from his work.
He let go of Mark and let him balance on his own. Stepping forward, he landed hard on the ground causing the room to shake. The new Mark swung the wood he pulled from Mark and threw the mannequin into the wall.
He turned to Mark and let Mark look at him. "I am the Hero within you. Heroplier, I guess. But you can call me Hero." Mark looked at Hero's outfit of a skin tight black outfit covering all of him up to his neck. The cape matched the boots, and stereo typical superhero underwear on the outside of his pants. The warfstache had been placed on his chest.
"Yes, the warfstache is our hero logo." Hero commented.
"Like on my pants," Mark said, lifting one leg to show him.
"You aren't wearing pants, Mark." Hero told him.
"This IS a nightmare!" Mark yelled.
"Mark, be quiet!" Tiny Box Tim spoke from behind Hero's boot. Hero picked him up and held him out to Mark.
"You need him more than I do." Hero handed over the caped box to Mark who tucked him away like before.
Hero braced himself and lunged behind Mark, stopping the attack that Mark was pushed from. Mark turned around and saw Hero holding the arms of the mannequin, braced where they had almost hit Mark.
Mark watched as Hero looked back at him; Hero's face dropped as Mark's arms were grabbed and twisted behind him. He was pulled to the ground and Tim was kicked out of his hand. Mark let out a scream as this figure yanked him to the floor, pinning him there with a chain looped through the floor.
This figure moved around Mark and faced him. Mark looked up at the white pupils in the black iris with normal eyes engulfed in a black circles surrounded by a dark haze. Dark's smile didn't quite match the one on the mannequin.
Lightning flashed through the windows again, lighting up the scene. Rain soon followed. It pounded on the glass, threatening to break it.
Hero swung his arm over the mannequin's neck and ripped the helmet off and it fell to the floor.
"I'm done with that anyway," Dark said as he waved his arm, moving the mannequin across the room. Dark looked down at Mark and smiled, "I'm your worst nightmare, Mark, but I'm not the worst one here."
Hero walked over to stand next to Mark. A growl came from Dark as he watched Hero move. He looked down at his stomach then up at Mark. A cruel smile spread across his teeth, "If you weren't always hungry," Dark lifted his white shirt. "He wouldn't exist." As he lifted the shirt, he revealed a demonic smile of sharp teeth that opened slightly, letting the pointed tongue slither through then receded back inside. The teeth shut and Dark put his shirt down.
Dark kept his eyes on Mark. The haze around his eyes flowed out into the air. Hero stood between Mark and Dark, determined to protect him.
"I'm not here for you," Dark said, tilting his head. "I'm here for him." He looked passed Hero.
"You'll have to go through us!" A cute voice said from another version of Mark. The bright blue eyes were still there but the rest mimicked Hero, like a side kick. He was shorter as well.
Another flash of lighting shot across the window.
"Okay," Dark said nonchalantly from behind Tim.
Hero looked back, shocked, and Tim jumped forward to dodge the attack, but Dark was too fast. Dark shoved his darkness engulfed hand through Tim's chest. Tim let out a sound that echoed the agonizing pain shooting through his core. Tim's legs crippled underneath him as Dark's hand came out through Tim's back. He threw Tim to the other side of the room effortlessly and lowered his arm. Tim's body landed on big wooden boxes, breaking them and leaving the shattered remains to cover the body.
"Tim!" Hero cried in horror.
"No!" Mark screamed helplessly from where he was chained to the floor. He arched his back to see where Tim fell. He tried to look at Hero the best he could and he saw sadness written all over his face.
"One down," Dark taunted, holding his hand down to Mark's face. "One to go."
Hero gathered his strength and separated Mark from Dark. Dark was ready to strike, ignoring Hero in front of him, but he backed off a moment later.
Dark didn't take his eyes off Mark, "I will get you." His voice faded with his body.
A few moments of silence passed before Dark's voice came again from the second floor by the stairs. "We will get you." He said loudly and several demonic smiles moved on all the walls, including the ceiling and floor.
Hero didn't move. Neither did Tim. Mark struggled to look at Dark. "What do you want from me?" He yelled as the chains tightened, pressing his shoulders into the floor.
Dark's eyes landed on him, he smiled and jumped from the railing, hovered over Mark and pulled him from the chain. He dropped Mark onto his back and pointed at his chest, standing over him. "Your soul," Dark said as his black haze engulfed Mark. The last thing he saw was Hero walking over to Tim.