"There's a drop there, Angel boy."

"I know Killer, I'm not blind." The golden skeleton hissed, momentarily looking back to flash a death stare at him.

The cocky dripping eyed skeleton grinned and gave a smirk. "I'm saying just to make sure. I don't want you falling down there and snapping your neck or something."

"I'll snap your neck in a moment if you don't shut the hell up!"

Killer blinked, staring at the back of the teen in front of him. His bow and quiver full of arrows were slung over his shoulder, ready to be whipped out at any moment. In his right hand he held a long sword, its blade stained deep crimson with the blood of the other tributes he'd successfully killed. His clothes were covered in blood and dirt, rips and tears streaking across it.

Killer's were mostly the same, stained and filthy with blood speckled over the dark fabric. He'd got most of the blood on him when he'd killed Abi, Dream's partner. She'd jumped out of nowhere, wrapping a length of barbed wire around his neck and jerking it back harshly. He'd choked and thrashed feverishly before managing to impale her with an out sticking low branch on a tree. It had speared right through her, freeing Killer and leaving her to twitch and gasp until she finally died and went limp.

Dream had found Killer around five minutes later, collapsed on the ground and weakly tugging at the barbs that had stayed lodged into his neck.

For a reason that Dream didn't even know himself, he helped Killer instead of killing him, despite seeing how he'd murdered his partner. He kind of hoped that Killer would run off and leave him alone with a thank you or something, but the skeleton had instead stumbled after him like a lost puppy. A very annoying and cocky puppy at that.

So there they were.

"Hey angel boy?" Killer called, gripping onto his knife tighter as they walked over a fallen log that made a bridge over a weak trickling stream.

"Call me that one more time. See what happens."

"...Uh, Okay then Dream, I'm thirsty."

"Too bad."

"There's a stream literally right beneath us."

"Don't care."

"Dreeeaaaammmmmm..." He groaned

"Killleeeerrrrr..." He mimicked, putting on a high pitched voice that sounded nothing like the taller skeleton.

"Pleaaassseeeee..."

"No."

"You're a dick."

"I've been told."

"I'll stop annoying you if we can drink."

"No you won't."

"Dream, stop." He ordered, ceasing movement as they got off the log.

"You're not my mum." He called, continuing to walk.

"I'm not moving!" He said, staring after him.

"Good, now I don't need to have you following me any more!" He yelled back, holding up his middle finger.

"Dream!"

He was already gone, disappearing into the trees and bushes.

"Fucking high up dick." Killer muttered, huffing to himself and pulling out his long empty bottle from his rucksack. "Won't even stop for something so important like water? Idiot."

He shook his head softly, unscrewing the cap and dipping the bottle into the water and watching as the stream quickly filled it up. Once it was full, he screwed the cap back on and looked in the direction Dream had gone in. "He'll come back in a minute, just you wait and see..."

Staying crouched by the stream, he waited for any signs of the boy from District One. For a whole minute, nothing happened and Killer felt his hope slowly drop.

But then a rustle rang out from the bushes and he perked up, looking around him. "Dream?"

Nothing happened for a moment and Killer frowned, staying still. The next rustle came much closer. "Dream...?"

Something tugged at his gut, telling him that whatever was happening wasn't right. But just as he went to jump up to his feet, something snapped around his neck and jerked him back harshly, cutting off his air supply.

Killer let out a choked shriek, his hands flashing up to grip onto the thick length of rope that had been roughly jerked around his neck. He struggled, his body tipping backwards and landing on the damp soil as his attacker pulled him back with the rope around his neck.

He gasped upon feeling something cold and sharp press against his chest, digging into his sternum. His eyes rolled down to look at the object, freezing as he saw it was a sword.

The attacker above him laughed, their voice sounding distinctly female. Their hands pulled the rope tighter, earning a gargling cry from Killer as his air supply was cut off completely. He kicked his limbs out wildly, black spots dancing in front of his vision in spirals. Was this it? Was this how he was going to die? Strangled by a stream whilst trying to fill up on water?

He slowly gave in, not being able to find the energy to fight back any more. God this was it. He was really going to die...

——————

"Fucking idiot." Dream muttered to himself, ducking under a low branch as he continued to walk away from the little stream. It was true, stocking up on water would be a good idea seeing as his bottle was only had a few millimetres left inside of it. But he'd refused to let that cocky skeleton get the better of him. He knew he'd share his water with him once he bounded back over.

Speaking of him though... Dream paused, glancing behind him for any signs of the irritating skeleton. He'd assumed that he'd come running right back to him once he'd filled his bottle back up. But that should have only taken a few seconds, not several minutes.

He refused to tell himself that he was worried for the other, but a part of him was internally nervous. Had Killer actually taken him seriously and gone off solo once more? Had he somehow managed to get lost? Had he died? Was he currently being killed?

Dream shook his head rapidly. "Don't be paranoid Dream, he'll be here any second now. He's absolutely fine."

And then a sort of tortured shriek rang out, echoing through the forest before going silent.

"KILLER!" Dream didn't even have a second to consider what to do, because his body bolted forwards and sprinted back in the direction he'd came from. The direction of the scream.

He shoved leaves and overhanging branches out of the way, his soul pounding in his chest faster than ever as he ran. "Killer?!"

No response came, and that just made his fear even worse. He stumbled over roots and twigs before finally bursting into the small clearing with the log over the stream.

Upon seeing what was in front of him, he froze.

Killer was on the floor, his body weakly twitching as his fingers clawed at the thick rope that was pressed harshly against his neck. Above him, a girl stood, her blond hair falling over her face as she watched the life slowly draining out of the skeleton beneath her.

In a flash he'd pulled out his bow, an arrow knocking in place before it sailed through the air and sunk into her neck. Because of his rush, he hadn't hit the centre dead on, hitting more to the left side of her neck.

Nevertheless, she let out a scream and fell back, her hands letting go of the rope around Killer's neck and falling back with her fingers curled around the arrow.

Dream didn't bother to see if she was dead, immediately splashing through the stream and dropping down by Killer's side. "O-Oh my god, Killer!"

The other's neck was red with blood, the rope having been so tight that it chaffed away his bone. He was limp on the floor, unmoving and not breathing.

"Oh nononono don't you dare die on me asshole!" He cried, quickly dropping his weapons by his side and starting CPR. He could practically sense the gamekeepers watching, telling the moderators to get a cannon ready.

"C'mon!" He groaned, looking down at the skeleton desperately and continuing his chest compressions. "Fucking wake up!"

Across all the districts, all screens were on the two skeletons, watching their desperate moment on the edge of their seats.

And then a cannon shot rang out.

"NONONO KILLER WAKE UP!" He pressed his mouth against the taller's blowing air down into his non-existent lungs as a final resort.

And then as if by some miracle, the skeleton choked. He let out a cough before suddenly lurching into an upright position and promptly retching up bile and acid from his throat.

Dream could have fainted in relief, fussing over the skeleton and rubbing his back as he choked up more sick. "You're o-okay o-oh thank god you're okay."

Killer leaned weakly against the golden skeleton, giving a few weak coughs before attempting to speak. "D-Dream...?" His voice was broken and raw, sounding all croaky and rough.

"Don't speak." He muttered, hugging him close to him and pressing his face into his chest. "You're okay, just...just don't talk."

"Mm... You r-really are an angel..." He mumbled, ignoring what he'd just said.

"Yes, sure I am, now shush." He gripped him tighter, his eyes wandering over to rest on the dead body of the girl. The cannon shot he thought had been for Killer must have been for her instead. He thought it was one of the ones from District Seven. Magic or Rachie. He honestly couldn't care less about which one it was right now.

"My angel..."

"Huh?" He looked down at Killer, hating how he felt his face heat up rapidly.

But the other was already asleep, clinging to his chest like a baby to its mother.

Dream sighed, wrapping his arms around him and resting his chin on the top of his skull. "Never mind... I'll take first watch..."

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Uwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwuwu I love Kréme so much ngl

They've been absent for so many chapters so it's nice that I've managed to get them a whole chapter to themselves, 1,679 words :33333

More of them soon, and of course Crossmare dun worry.

And with only eight people left in the arena now, who do you think will die next?

>:3

-Jess-