Ends of the Earth [DNF]

Chapter 26: Time for planning

The following days was occupied by planning, planning and more planning. The atmosphere in the camp was tense. Philza had shared the basics of what they're planning with everyone. Dream had given Philza permission to share the horrors that the bunker had put both Karl's sister and George. The normally silent camp was somehow even quieter than usual. Philza had stated that it was likely that they'd have to move the base after their rescue mission. The mission itself was parted in two. The first part revolved around getting George away from the bunker. Part two was supposed to be a way to get rid of the bunker. Both Dream and Sapnap had stated that the odds of this ending peacefully was close to zero. The pink-haired man, that had knocked Dream unconscious, seemed to like that bit maybe a bit too much. But Dream didn't complain, he had his sight set on one thing and one thing only, the caged brunette.

Wilbur was the one to plan everything. You'd have to give it to the man, he was bright. It didn't seem to exist a thing that he didn't know. He suggested to give the people that lived in the bunker a choice, voicing that most of them hadn't chosen that destiny and emphasize how brain-washed they were.

Techno wasn't the biggest fan of that idea, but it was rather clear that his favorite part was blowing things up, and WHAT type of things appeared as a secondary concern.

Sapnap had been by Dream's side these last days, filling in the gaps from their time apart. George had been right; his bed had found a new owner. He said that it didn't take long before Quackity had failed their plan to keep quiet and snapped at him. Sapnap had apparently threated with pulling the others beanie off and it was only later that he found out that it was a sensitive topic. The guy had cussed him out in every way possible until Karl had slapped the him in the back of his head, causing him to realize what he'd done.

Sapnap had been brought back to the camp and expected to be held captive, but the people there concluded that he wouldn't be able to get far anyways. So, he was given practically the same treatment as everyone else got. Sure, it took a bit of time for people come around. Though, understanding why he wasn't their favorite person wasn't too hard guess to. But things got better and Sapnap admitted that someone would've to force him to return to the bunker.

Dream explained his story in the same manners and revealed that his plan was to never return to the bunker as well. He told a rather brief summary, skipping some more "intimate" details. He even let his pride take a strike by telling Sapnap about Dahlia, who shouted "I fucking told you so!" loud enough for the entire camp to hear.

Quackity joined them from time to time. The dude wasn't half bad once you got to know him, a bit impulsive maybe, but not evil in any way. The beanie thing had become an inside joke and Sapnap would try to steal it of him every chance he got.

Quackity was always faster, probably because he sensed Sapnap's intentions. But that didn't stop him from cussing out Dream's friend in every way imaginable. Their bickering was entertaining and made Dream feel genuinely happy for the first time in weeks. It took away some of his nerves regarding what was about to go down. However, the nightmares continued. He started sleeping in shorter shifts in an attempt to make it less draining. He'd explained what George did but the others seemed rather confused. Sure, they might hear him wake up in panic, but none of them said anything about his dreams interfering with their sleep.

It'd been close to a week. Karl had spent most of his time with his sister, who slowly but surely got better. She already looked physically healthier, but the tricky part was the mental side.

"Psychological torture. You take away a person's dreams, identity and free will. Suddenly is surviving the only thing that remains. Humans are remarkable, but if you were to shave of everything that makes us stand out from the rest of the worlds living organism, it quickly becomes clear that we aren't that different from the animals living amongst us." Was Wilbur's explanation. He said that it was easier to heal a person's body compared to their mind. It was often a slower process and sometimes you would've to figure out the "key", as he called it, referring to finding a way to break through the mental walls that the person had built. The most unsettling part was the fact that there's no guarantee that a person recovered. They themselves would also have to want to recover, to a certain degree anyways.

"You can't help a person who doesn't want to get helped." Had been Wilbur's final words in the matter.

Karl's dedication to help his sister was admirable. Dream had taken Karl's bed while he stayed by his sister's side nearly every hour of the day.