Dave Strider, age 16, wounded. He looks over at his friend who has just been bitten. Her god tier pajamas have been torn and her human red blood comes out of the wounds she has.
"dave, get out of here!"
"i wont leave you jade!"
"it's too late for me." She pauses, "go find the others."
"i wont leave!"
"dammit dave!" Jade turns, her skin is grey as a troll, "i am grimbark, i will be grimbark forever!"
"fuck."
"while i still have some of myself left," Jade hisses, "go rescue the others, there is nothing you can do to save me!"
"jade i. . .
"just go dave!"
"jade."
"go dave!" She hisses, "before i turn on you!"
….
Dave shoots up awake. Sweating head to toe.
"the same nightmare."
He looks around the dark room, thinking he heard someone. Kanaya sits up awake as well, thinking she heard someone.
"kanaya?" whispers Dave.
"I Am Up"
"thank god."
"I Thought I Heard Something"
"so did i."
"But Then The Sound Died Off"
"yeah."
"What Do You Think It Was"
"i don't know."
"Are You Alright"
"i'm fine."
"Did You Have Another Nightmare"
"yeah."
"And It Is Troubling You"
"what makes you say that?"
"Through Your Tone In Your Voice" Kanaya pauses, "You Saw Something That You Wish That You Could Forget Happened And Yet You Know That It Happened And That It Will Haunt You For The Rest Of Your Life"
"its nothing like that, kan."
"I Know That You Are Lying Dave"
"me? lying?"
"I Can Hear It In Your Voice"
"why would i lie to a friend?"
"Because You Are Frightened To Tell Your Friend What You Saw In Your Nightmare"
"i am not frightened."
"It Is Alright To Be Scared Once In A While Dave"
"not for me." Dave pauses, "bro wasn't scared of anything."
"And You Want To Grow Up To Be Like Him"
"yeah."
"If He Saw You Like This" Kanaya pauses, "Do You Think He Would Be Scared For You Because You Are His Little Brother"
"no."
"Well I Think He Would"
"well, he wouldn't." Dave says, "He didn't do a lot with me."
"Then Why Do You Look Up To Him"
"because . . ."
"Hm"
"because i am scared that someone would do something terrible to him." Dave pauses, "he is my bro."
"You Just Admitted To Your Fear Dave" Kanaya pauses, "That Is Step One Of Getting Rid Of This Fear Now Tell Me About Your Nightmare"
"i don't know where to start."
"Just Start At The Beginning"
Dave takes a deep breath in.
"i was fighting zombies along side jade, until she got bit." Dave pauses, "i finished fighting off the zombies while she sat on the ground hissing and screaming. i run to her, she tells me to stay away from her and to go find the others. i couldn't just leave her there. then she told me that she was turning into one and that the sweet jade will be no more. then she goes on to tell me to run or she will bite me. so i ran as fast as i could to get out of there. its all my fault that she turned into a zombie, kanaya, its all my fault."
"This Nightmare Is Not A Nightmare"
"what the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"This Is More Like A Memory" Kanaya pauses, "One Of Your Darkest Memories It Will Haunt Your Derseself For A Long Time"
"but our dreamselves are dead." Dave pauses, looking at her, "how is that fucking possible?"
"When Our Darkest Memories Come Into Play They Start To Toy With Our Emotions" Kanaya says, "They Will Make Our Dreamselves Their Puppets"
"our dreamselves are our darkest memories' puppets?"
"Indeed Depending On How Dark The Memory Is Will It Affect You In The Future"
"but my memory," Dave pauses, "isn't it a little too dark?"
"This Particular Memory That You Are Recalling In Your Dreambubble Is What The Darkness Has Chosen No One Knows What Memory They Have Chosen Until They Actually Have It As A Nightmare"
"wow kan, how long have you known about this?"
"Ever Since" Kanaya pauses, "Never Mind"
"ever since vriska and nepeta showed up in yours."
"How Did You Know"
"through your tone."
Kanaya sits there shocked, seeing the sun's rays appearing through John's white curtains.
"The Sun"
"that's right kanaya," Dave sighs, "we have been up for a few hours now."
