And it continues. Hurrah! Poor Dan. I'm so mean to him~

Part II

Another morning, another bruise.

Dan looked in the mirror at the bags under his eyes, before turning his gaze to the rather large burn on the side of his neck. Mr. Sweater had shoved his neck down over a metal pipe that was so hot the leaking water came out as steam. He held it there with more force than Dan realized a man could have and a laughing statement about if it's too hot in the kitchen to get out. It had hurt so much Dan had been close to tears; his voice had choked up and trapped in his throat. Only a desperate over the shoulder throw had saved the rest of his face. Dan had to admit he was starting to be afraid to go to sleep.

He had thrown away the pills after the first night thinking that maybe they had caused the sleep walking (which was the only real explanation Dan had come up with for the wounds earlier). But the man trying to kill him was getting more vicious (and the dreams more odd – in this last one he had run into a room that had three little girls jumping rope and singing one weird little rhyme) and Dan was waking up faster each time. With a new wound each time as well and it was always something he received in the dream.

But they were minor, so when Rorschach came to check up on him after the first day, Dan faked that he was okay. A long sleeve shirt hid more than Dan realized, especially when Rorschach mostly had concern for the gashes on his stomach. And if he noticed one that slipped past the sleeve? Dan found it surprisingly easy to cover for – lest he sound crazy. Little bruises could be accounted for by shifting and turning. Hitting a night post. Telling Rorschach that his dreams were hurting him physically was insane. Sure, there were times Nite Owl thought his partner wasn't all there either but that didn't mean they had to be a matching set.

Thankfully, it was enough to keep the man from prying. Rorschach had stayed away the past two nights and was likely to not appear until the week was over. It didn't help his situation much, however, as Dan was either going completely out of his mind or there was something to this dreams hurting him for real thing. Dan fingered the wound on his neck and the red skin that was flaking off. Second degree burns were harder to talk himself out of than a bump, bruise or cut. There was nothing that hot in Dan's room and he couldn't have possibly left the room.

Dan had checked.

Before heading to sleep, Nite Owl in a brief moment of paranoia that would have made his partner proud, made sure to lock all doors and windows to his room, followed by putting small traps to be triggered in each in case of them opening. All the triggers were still in place and there was no sign that any entrances to his room had been touched at all. Dan even had flour spread out around his bed to show if he stood up at any point in the night and it was untouched. Dan had managed to give himself a second degree burn bad enough to blister without ever leaving his bed.

Nite Owl covered the wound with his hand to hide it from himself and winced at the pain. Going to a hospital would bring up too many questions, so Dan did what he could by turning on the cold water and soaking a rag. Dan would have to treat and wrap it himself. Dan yawned as he applied the chilled gauze and set himself up to get a large cup of coffee. Whatever was happening to him, it was only when he slept if that was any form of comfort. Dan was perfectly safe during the day while he was awake (well as safe as a masked hero could be). Dan could go a day or two without sleep right?

Just like pulling an overnighter or two Dan to himself chuckled nervously as he swallowed. A few days without sleep would make the dreams go away due to the dreamless state of sheer exhaustion. Maybe. Dan sipped the cup of coffee and felt the slight tingle of heat on his neck from the still aching burn. Oh he hoped that was true.

Nite Owl was in the lair, civilian clothes, working under the hood of Archie. Rorschach was quiet in his approach, taking notes on his appearance. He had left Daniel alone for a week to gather himself and heal from the wounds on his chest, but Rorschach couldn't help the concern. The masked man had forgotten what it was like to patrol the streets without a partner for an extended period of time. Too much rot festering in the city and not enough of Rorschach to go around. Needed help.

Daniel was shaking, cup of coffee sitting next to him. Coffee maker had also been moved to lair, and was brewing another batch. Rorschach took note of the wrappings around his neck; new wound. Skin was still pale save for dark circles under eyes; Rorschach could tell Daniel's eyes were blood shot. Daniel wasn't sleeping. Rorschach approached closer but nearly jumped when Nite Owl's eyes darted up to him, noticing his presence near immediately the moment he passed the threshold between the sewer and the basement. Rorschach slowly put his hands in his pockets to appear calm and in control. That was odd.

"Hey Rorschach." Dan tried to force a smile. It figured the first time he caught Rorschach before the man could sneak up on him was because of a paranoid fit due to an irrational fear of a man stalking him in his head. And Dan had thought it wasn't possible to outdo Rorschach when it came to paranoia. Dan swallowed a giggle. "How are the streets looking?"

"Dirty, as always." The rough voice came out slow and cautious as he approached his friend who was looking more and more like an abused dog meeting a new person. Rorschach stopped walking about an arms' length from Daniel. His description seemed to be more appropriate now that he was up close. Dan looked ready to spring at anything that so much as sneezed. "No sleep?"

Dan let out a short, choked laugh and ran his hands through his hair ignoring the grease that was now slopped through it. "No, no sleep. No. Uh, I think I'm two solid days in with none. Not a wink." Dan swallowed the last of the chilled coffee in his mug and willed the machine behind him to brew faster. The energy pills weren't doing their job either. Dan figured he probably had built up a tolerance. "Can't sleep."

Rorschach took his hands out of his pockets and held them at the ready. Something was very wrong with Daniel. "Can't?"

"He'll get me." Dan looked up, almost impressed that he had Rorschach on the defensive. Was he really sounding that mad? Probably. It was crazy. This whole damn thing was crazy. Dan rubbed his wrist where a prominent new wound sat just beneath the long sleeve. He'd gotten close. So damn close. "I don't wan to die."

The words sounded strange coming from Nite Owl. They sounded like a mantra, a reassurance that Daniel was trying to convince himself of something. Rorschach followed Daniel's hand to where it was rubbing and launched forward to rip it away to look at the wrapped area. Right across the artery. There were very few reasons to have a wound there. He pulled back the bandages a bit to realize the wound gaping across the wrist was clean. Not from a struggle. Someone sliced through the skin here with purpose, curved inward towards the body. Looked self-inflicted. "Daniel."

"He did it." Dan muttered remembering the horrifying event a couple days ago. Those horrible claws had cut clean across his wrist and he had made some joke about being a cutter and Dan had backed into a hot pipe and the pain woke him up. The artery gushing blood was quite real and Dan almost didn't stop it. He got lucky. Dan didn't go back to sleep after that. No, Dan was going to avoid sleeping if it killed him. "Made me cut my wrist and it was bleeding everywhere, Rorschach." He couldn't see his face, but he could feel the grip on his wrist tightening. Dan knew what it looked like. "I didn't do it to myself, Rorschach."

"Daniel." His friend was going insane. This latest wound put the others into perspective. Daniel was hurting himself. Rorschach bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. Why? Why would Nite Owl do these things to himself? What reason did he have to grieve? Attention? Guilt? Rorschach choked the words out. "Doesn't make sense, Daniel."

"You think I don't know that?" Voice hoarse, Dan dropped the mug and held his head in its place. "It doesn't make any sense at all! How the hell can dreams hurt you? But they do. I know it sounds crazy, but I swear to you the man in my dreams is somehow able to hurt me physically. I haven't slept. I'm scared to sleep." Dan's throat closed up with a half sob. " I'm losing my mind, Rorschach."

The nightmares again. Rorschach wondered if it was some sort of code for hurting himself, but the sleep deprivation seemed real enough if the shaking, irritation and red eyes were any indication. Was it even possible that he was telling the truth? Rorschach's grip tightened more; holding a lifeline. Nite Owl never lied before. "Sure coming from dreams, Daniel?"

"Unless I'm losing my mind and doing it to myself," Dan breathed slowly and tried to remain calm. "There's no other explanation, Rorschach. The man taunts me and asks how they feel. He remembers previous dreams. These aren't normal, Rorschach." Dan looked up at the expressionless mask that made up his partner's face. "I need help."

Rorschach nodded slowly. Whatever was going on, walking away now was not an option if he ever wanted Nite Owl fighting the physical demons on the streets instead of the manifestations in his head. "What do you need?"

"I'm not sure." Dan shook his head. He was exhausted and running out of things to keep himself awake. That he had lasted as long as he had was a miracle. "I need sleep to think, but if I go to sleep he'll get me." Daniel looked up. The man only came when he was dreaming, so maybe if he got an hour or two before things got bad he could think more clearly. "I need someone to wake me up if it looks like I'm dreaming."

"You want me to watch you sleep?" Rorschach almost scoffed considering he'd caused more nightmares than he'd solved. It was something he was almost proud of, actually, when it came to the criminals of the street. But Daniel looked so desperate at the moment he found himself reluctantly agreeing. Daniel owed him for this after it was over. "Alright."

"Thank, thank-you, Rorschach." Dan breathed out. "Just, make sure to wake me up if anything is out of place or if something happens, okay?" Nite Owl gripped the trench coat under his fingers and tightened his grip almost desperately. Rorschach was someone he could trust. "Promise?"

"Promise, Daniel." Rorschach pat the mans' shoulder and lifted him from the ground. They stumbled up the stairs together and Rorschach wondered what on earth he had just agreed to. He almost hoped Daniel's nightmares really were out to get him. The alternative was too terrifying to comprehend.

Dan was dreaming again, though he was unsure of how he knew that considering nothing seemed out of place. His tip off was probably because he was standing in the middle of his bedroom and Rorschach wasn't there. His partner was merciless, maladjusted and irritable, but he was nothing if not dependable. If Rorschach said he was going to stay up all night watching Dan, he meant it. Knowing it was a dream and inevitable before he ran into the monster again, Dan pressed forward out of his room.

His house was silent as he took the few steps down the stairs, glad for once he remembered to wear shoes to bed. (Rorschach had looked at him funny – Dan could tell even with the mask – but Dan had insisted.) He pulled at the collar of his night shirt when the temperature started to rise. Dan's glasses were fogging and he paused to wipe them off. When they were back on his face, Dan sighed.

His room was slowly being covered with ash falling from the ceiling and the wallpaper started to peel. Dan knew better than to believe there was a real fire in his house so he pressed onward to the kitchen and stalled when he saw the tricycle in the corner. Though, the tricycle wasn't as odd as the little girl sitting on top of it with the white dress dragging her foot around in the grey soot. It always had to be kids with this guy, didn't it?

In a way, Dan was almost glad Rorschach wasn't there with him. His partner had a thing about cases that involved children and he doubt the masked man handled these kids well. It was hard to tell what they were or how they were there, but Dan knew better than to think he could save them from this. Dan could barely save himself. Rorschach, Rorschach didn't think that way. Ballistic seemed like a good word to describe Rorschach's reaction to the kids presence with the mad man.

Sweat trickled down Nite Owl's nose as the room started to fill slightly with steam and Dan quickly changed his mind. Having Rorschach As back-up would be very welcome at the moment. A loud clatter came from the upstairs and Dan steeled himself to face whatever it was head on hoping his friend would provide support by waking him the hell up if it turned out to be the burnt man.

Rorschach was unsure if he should wake Daniel or not. He cleared his throat and continued to watch from his seat next to the bed as Daniel gripped the sheets, sweating and breathing heavily. Shifting ever so slightly and releasing small little moans. It would almost be disgusting to watch if the pained expression on his face made it obvious he was having a nightmare. However, a nightmare itself wasn't causing the problems. Sleepwalking was the most likely cause of the trouble if Rorschach wanted to play things safe. The vigilante continued to wait as Daniel started to full out turn in his sleep. When Daniel called out in pain, Rorschach was suddenly paying a lot closer attention.

He was on his feet when his friend lifted and knocked into the headboard. Rorschach couldn't help but stare as Daniel begun to thrash around like he was fighting someone. His side was turning red where the stitches were being ripped open and his wrist had little dots of blood seeping through to the surface of the white bandage. Rorschach dropped his hesitation and tried to hold Daniel down by the shoulders. He was rewarded with a fist heading towards his face and Daniel screaming his lungs out. Yelling. A dodge, arm to the chest, leg over legs in an attempt to pin him down. Was Daniel having a seizure?

Rorschach jolted when Daniel started to make a gurgling sort of choking noise and he looked down seeing indents start appearing around his throat. Deep red, and most definitely forming on their own. Rorschach shook Daniel fiercely. "Wake up!" Nothing but more choking noises; gasps for air like a fish on the dock. Shifting his position Rorschach tried to wake him again, voice louder. "Daniel!" Still gasping and clawing at his own exposed throat.

Rorschach punched him in the jaw hard enough to bruise the bone and Dan awoke with a final, deep and heavy gasp. Dan felt a little bit of blood come up from down his throat and he coughed it out onto the bedspread. Staring up at the man straddling him, he tilted his head. "Ror," his voice was scratchy. "Rorschach?"

"Daniel thrashing, screaming. Thought it was a seizure. Started choking." Rorschach tried to calm his own breathing down as Daniel sat up and turned on his table lamp. Sleep walking and self-harm were suddenly out of the picture. There was no way he had imagined the hand prints around Daniel's neck. Especially now with the skin discoloring under the yellow light of the lamp. "What happened in dream?"

"He showed up again." Daniel muttered trying to recall. He had gone into another room after he heard the noise in the hallway and the rest of those strange children were jumping rope again. Daniel remembered wondering how they could all look so healthy with the room being so hot and sweat dripping down his face. They had warned him that Freddy was looking for Daniel and he closed the door. Soon after he was greeted by the man's burnt and scared face morphing out of the door. The monster had grabbed Daniel before he even had a chance to sprint. "And, he was trying to bash my head in." Rorschach thought of Daniel striking the headboard and started to count coincidences. "Then he was choking me."

"Happened in real life."

Dan froze. It was one thing to give his crazed ideas of the dreams being real weight, but it was another to be backed by a witness. "What?"

"The choking." Rorschach swallowed and felt a tad bit of rage rising. " I saw it."

"Are you saying, that what happened to me in the dream was happening out here!?" Dan knew his voice was shaking now. All the things he had pondered, theorized, and dismissed as insanity were suddenly being voiced out loud. Dan's voice lowered to a whisper in relief. "It's real?"

Rorschach pointed to the now bleeding side, blood staining his own outfit along with the sheets. His voice was fierce; angry. Someone or something was hurting Daniel. Hurting Nite Owl. His partner. "Evidence doesn't lie."

"So, it's true. I really can't sleep without fearing for my life." Dan was bringing himself back up to hysterics as it settled in and his relief at retaining his sanity faded. "He's there every time I close my eyes and I've gotta' tell you Rorschach, it's getting harder and harder to avoid him. It's like everything's real and I'm still tired and exhausted in the dream. Heck, I'm still sore and bleeding. And he's. I don't know, I watched him rip the top of his skull off and be fine in a few moments. He's turned himself into a snake and phased through walls and is always two damn steps ahead. How do you fight that?"

"Don't know." Rorschach grumbled and watched Daniel's chin drop into his chest, breathing heavily. Victim. Hurting. Rorschach's voice came out as a growl. "Going to find out."

Dan wasn't sure if that was a comfort or not and fell forward slightly until the crown of his head rested on Rorschach's chest. Just a little support to hold him up before everything crumbled.