From Murder to Dust

J - 2 - Interrogation

I had been staying with the Outertale brothers for three weeks now, and it was..scary. I hadn't been scared of so many things in the past, but now I was, and it was terrifiying! Ink had tortured me in so many different ways that I was afraid of what seemed like everything! The Outertale brothers tried to avoid my fears, but some, such as rocks - they had a pet rock - were just unavoidable. In simplest terms, I was a burden to them, despite their denials. I just wanted to go home to Paps, Nightmare, Killer, Horror, Cross, Chara, and Error! I needed to go home to them..I had to go home..why couldn't I go home? They had attacked Outertale once since my arrival; I had been locked in Starstruck's room the entire time. That was the only time I had been forced to do something by the Outertale brothers, and it had been horrible! I had heard my family..I just couldn't see them..I tried to escape that room with everything I had, but it still wasn't enough..I wasn't enough. That had happened yesterday; I hadn't spoken since then. The Outertale brothers had invited the swap brothers to come over to possibly help the situation, but I knew they couldn't..only my family could help me.

"So he hasn't said a word since the attack ended?" The swapped Sans was saddened.

"No..he won't eat, either.." Outer frowned. 

"What could Nightmare have that he could want so much?" The swapped Papyrus questioned.

"..We could ask him." The swapped Sans suggested.

"We shouldn't." Outer quickly shook his skull. "We've already betrayed his trust in his eyes; we shouldn't do it more."

"Then how are we supposed to help him?" 

 "If he isn't eating, he isn't going to live very long." The swapped Papyrus sighed. "The only two options I see are asking him straight up or hoping he starts living again on his own, which is hopeful, at the very best."

"..." Outer bowed his skull. "You're right."

"Then we ask him?"

"Yes.." Outer looked at me firmly; I backed away a bit..was he finally going to hurt me?! "Dust, why do you want to go back to Nightmare?" 

I pulled my hood over my face; I didn't want to tell them! Nightmare would have been disappointed if I told them!

"Dust." The firmness of Outer's voice made me shake. "Tell us why."

"H-he.." I didn't want him to hurt me! "H-he's..m-my..h-he.."

Outer paused for a moment before lowering his gaze. "I can't do this to him.."

"How about we take it slower?" The swapped Papyrus suggested. "Dust, we're going to ask you yes or no questions, okay?"

I nodded shakily; their tactics scared me, but I didn't want to risk pain!

"Give us honest answers." The swapped Papyrus ordered; I would. "Do you think Nightmare is a better person than Ink?" 

"Y-yes.." I knew he was!

"Even in the moral sense?"

"Y-y-yes.." I tried to slow my crying, to no avail.

"Does Nightmare treat you well?"

"Y-yes.."

"Did Ink treat you worse than he was supposed to?"

"Y-yes.."

"He..did?"

"Y-y-yes.."

"Oh, my.." The swapped Papyrus sighed. "Did Ink do something worse than he was restricted to during the meeting?"