Project 404 [DNF]

Chapter 26: Hallucinations

Dream had learned two things recently. One, he was probably claustrophobic. And two, the line between sanity and insanity was thin.

After Schlatt had him sedated, Dream had been swimming somewhere between conscious and unconscious. Hallucinations kept nagging at his brain and slowly but surely increasing the difficulty to establish reality from thoughts.

The illusions varied but Dream had begun seeing a pattern. There were three different settings, with different characters.

How or what Schlatt had done to him was a mystery. Although it sure as hell was an effective way to fuck with his head. The switch kept flipping on and off like someone had laced his mind with crack. Each of the three scenarios caused a different reaction in his brain. His own theory was that Schlatt's goal was to make sure that the emotions remained off constantly.

And the harsh truth was that Dream was beginning to yearn more and more for the moments when the emotions were off. The hallucinations could be horrendously cruel, leaving him completely drained afterwards. So, when the emotions disappeared, could feel like somewhat of a relief.

Currently, he was sitting in the cell, gaze locked on nothing in particular. The cell was highly uncomfortable. Yet, he valued the few minutes where no illusions were infiltrating his mind.

One might think that hallucinations would feel the same as dreaming. But Dream had learned the hard way that there was one major difference between a dream and a hallucination: The aftermath. More specifically, how to tell what's real and not.

Speaking of hallucinations, he suddenly felt how his grip of reality slowly began to fade. A second later and the grey walls disappeared. He swiftly shut his eyes, bracing himself for what's to come and prayed that it'd be one of the less mentally exhausting illusions.

The three possible scenarios consisted of him and George sitting in a field. Him standing on a platform above the clouds accompanied by a weird-looking creature that wore a green robe and had two glowing circles around his head instead of a face. And lastly, his least favorite, him surrounded by his mom and two sisters, trapped in a burning house.

As he opened his eyes, he found himself back in the house that usually burned down at the end of his hallucination. Although, there seemed to be a slight difference this time, as the house seemed perfectly intact. He spotted his mom and sisters sitting by an old table. A single candle lit up their faces.

They seemed... happy?

Deep down, Dream knew that it was all an illusion. Still, it felt so real. Real enough that he didn't want to disturb them.

"Clauuyy, get over her, don't just stand there you weirdo." His younger sister shouted.

Dream couldn't help but furrow his brows. This wasn't how it usually went. Nonetheless, he carefully made his way towards the table and sat down on the empty chair. His mom gave him a heartfelt smile. Her blonde locks were contained in a low ponytail and her green eyes sparked with life.

"Wanna play Uno with us?" She asked. Dream's voice must've gotten caught in his throat; all he could master was a small nod.

"You two" His mother said, pointing at his two sisters. "Go and get the game."

Suddenly, he was alone with his mom. A hand then draped over his chin. He furrowed his brows until he felt the tears that was being wiped away. He made eye contact with his mom; her green eyes were now filled with worry. He hated how he'd ruined to moment.

Both remained quiet. That's when the fire began. His sisters were yet to return. The flame from the candle had spread and was now covering most of the table. But it didn't hurt and neither him nor his mom moved away.