Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Tommy would say he was freezing but he wasn’t.

He wasn’t cold.

He wasn’t warm, either.

He knew he was cold, but he couldn’t feel it. He knew he was shivering, but he didn’t understand why he couldn’t feel the cold. He must have hypothermia by now, yet his fingers still stayed connected to his hands.

He felt weird.

Ever since he was bit he couldn’t not help but feel weird.

He was different. He was still him, Tommy Innit Extraordinaire, but he was also something else. Something dark, and blood-thirsty, and inhumane, and evil .

There were voices, in the back of his head, whispering and mumbling about death and blood constantly. Tommy barely caught any other words besides blood, and death, and kill, while occasionally one voice in particular would whisper about how humans needed to be wiped out form this earth. Humans are a disease, it stated, and the only way to clear it was with another infection. That sounded like a load of bullshit to him.

He ignored them all and continued shivering in his little corner in a building, kind of confused about it all. What the fuck exactly happened to him? His memories were all a little bit fuzzy, but he knew for a fact that Dream had killed his entire camp, dragging Tommy out to watch his two best friends die.

Then Tommy plunged a knife into Dream’s chest and killed him, twisting the knife with joy as he made his death hurt , just how he deserved it. He looked down at his hands, at the blood that still stained them, at Dream’s blood that still stained it. He couldn't help but smile, feeling good that he killed Dream.

Dream deserved to die after what he did.

He frowned, glancing around the small bare room he was in, his breath billowing out in front of him in a fog like manor.

How many other camps were just like his?

Corrupt and full of selfish, guilty people that deserved to die? Tommy clenched his hands into fists, feeling an icy resolve burn through him the longer he thought about it.

Camps were evil .

Evil should not be allowed to keep standing.

The voices seemed to agree with him, screaming their approval at that.

Tommy squeezed his eyes shut, a sudden headache coming on from the intensity of the voices. He took in a deep breath, feeling the icy air fill his lungs before he exhaled, opening his blue eyes to the dull world around him.

He would destroy them all, or burn up along the way, nothing left but ash .

He dully found he didn’t really care what happened to himself.

~~~~


After months of wandering a long abandoned city, which used to be one of luxury and riches, now reduced to rubble and ruins, Tommy had stumbled upon a small settlement in a casino of all places.

Actually, about a month earlier he had killed an entire established settlement, wiping them all out in the night. He singe-handily killed each and every one with his trusty bat and knife, deciding against using a gun as it would be to loud and take away his one advantage.

In his few months of killing camps he had gained the reputation of Red , a mass-murderer that no one knew what looked like. They called him Red because of all the blood he left around, and the rumors that he drank blood. Weird, he knows— it also doesn’t help that the blood stains his clothes, making them a red-orange color.

All they knew was that he used a bat as his primary weapon and was extremely stealthy.

He stood atop the roof of a old gas station, looking out at the massive casino before him. He was on the outskirts of the city now, with only a few buildings here and there and more open fields and trees. Further down the winding road was a sign that said ‘Las Nevadas’ in red bold letters, along with the image of a desert with cactus’s drawn on it.

The casino was massive, with a huge water fountain out front that must have been spectacular when it was turned on and actually working, along with many tall old-looking trees that lined the edge of the road, with over-grown bushes. The casino itself was made out of quartz and concrete, with huge pillars supporting the huge roof of the place. It was so intricate and looked like something out of Greece.

Tommy stared in awe at the building, never having seen something so impressive before. How had he not heard of Las Nevadas before? The place was absolutely gorgeous, even when there was no lights on and everything was overgrown.

A thin layer of snow coated everything, along with grey clouds blocking out the sun. A cold chilly breeze ruffled his dirty blonde hair, the cold nipping at his cheeks, but he didn’t feel it.

He didn’t feel a lot of things anymore.

He shrugged, grabbing his bat as he made his way to the edge of the roof, jumping onto the ladder and climbing down it. He just knew people were living in there, there was no doubt about it. The place was too good to resist.

Tommy began making his way there, trying to be as stealthy as possible. He did not want to alert anyone that could be in there. He saw something dart across the front of the casino as he quickly ducked into a nearby building, pressing his back against the cold wall.

He took in a deep breath, going to peer out past the edge of the wall when an undead groan made him flinch. He cursed, his eyes snapping to the zombie that was laying on the ground a couple of feet away from him, half frozen to the ground by its blood and rotting flesh.

Tommy stared at it for a couple of moments, as it tried to move, but it was thoroughly stuck. Part of its head was fucking caved in, exposing its brain to the outside elements. Its eyes were popping out of its skull and hanging loosely by tendrils, while its skin was a deathly pale-greenish color, rotting and covered in blood.

It was missing its legs, and was only just its arms and torso. Quite a sad excuse for a zombie, if you asked him. It made another groan and Tommy shushed it, shooting it an angry glare.

“Shut the fuck up or we’re both dead—“ He whisper-shouted, pointing his bat at it as a gun fired and the zombie before him was exploded, it’s head bursting open with a spray of blood and brains. Tommy watched the zombie’s body fall limp, before looking at the person who did it.

Standing in the crumbled bit of the building he was in was a short man, a blue beanie on his head and a black jacket that was way to big for him. He had a long scar going down his face and over one of his eyes, the eye with the scar was white while his other one was brown. He held a gun in his hand and had an un-impressed look on his face as he stared at Tommy.

Tommy blinked, looking at the dead zombie than back at the short guy.

“I had that handled—“ He broke the tension as he quickly stood up, his bat in hand as he warily eyed the new comer, sizing him up for the fight that was bound to happen.

“You were just sitting there, kid.” The guy said, clicking on the safety to his gun before storing it away in his pocket. “What are you doing out here anyways, huh?” He asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

Tommy stiffened, eyeing the short guy up. He could so kill him in a heart beat.

“Im not a kid, for one bitch, and two its none of your damn business why Im here.” Tommy said, shifting his weight on his legs. The man gave him a look, staring intently at him.

“Well you’re kind of on my property , so it is my business.” He retorted, crossing his arms, “Why are you alone, hm? No one else is with you, someone’s gotta be taking care of you.” He said that he was alone like he knew it for a fact. How the fuck could he know—

“Don’t worry about how I know, kid. Answer my question.” He said as he waved his hand in front of his face impatiently. Tommy glared at him, feeling as if there were eyes watching him from all sides.

He needs to be more careful.

“I take care of myself, bitch, don’t need no one else—“ Tommy began, being cut off by the strange man. A burst of irritation shot up through his chest as he shot him a glare.

“Bullshit.” He interrupted him, taking a step closer to him, his good eye trained on him. Tommy unconsciously took a step back, his grip on his bat tightening. “No one is alone out here, its a death sentence.”

“Well news flash, I am alone. Is it really that hard to believe?” Tommy asked, “Not everyone has someone, so stop being so fucking pushy and shit—“ He growled, getting a little angry at him. Maybe he had people in the past, but that was long gone now. Everyone he had was dirt now. Dirt wasn’t really a good companion.

“How do you survive, then?” He asked as if this was the one question that would make Tommy spill the truth that he was in fact not alone. Tommy gave him a blank look, feeling very irritated at being questioned by this weirdo.

“Uh by breathing?” He said, giving him a look, “What do you fucking think, big man? I scavenge, travel around, never stay in one spot— all the classics to surviving in a fucking apocalypse. I don’t need anyone and I am thriving , thank you very much.” Tommy spat. He doesn’t know why he has let this conversation go on so long.

He itched to kill him, to swing his bat and cave in his head. He wanted to kill him— but something told him he would be dead the second he raised his bat. Someone else was watching him from far off, probably with a sniper or something trained on him.

The man smiled, taking another step towards him.

“How do you deal with hostile people, then?” He asked curiously, knowing he had Tommy cornered. Tommy fidgeted with his bat, knowing full well he was fucking trapped. This guy had cornered him, literally and figuratively. He wanted to roll his eyes so badly.

“Do you use that little bat of yours to bust their knee caps in and run away? Or do you use it to kill , hm?” Tommy froze at the accusation, his blue eyes widening slightly for a moment as he stared at the short man.

He thought he schooled his reaction well but apparently not, as he had the man reeling back in laughter, wiping at his bad eye as if he was shedding a tear. Tommy did not find any of it funny as he listened to the mans ugly laugh, standing there awkwardly as he radiated mirth.

He was missing something, his blue eyes wide with confusion as he watched him lean back towards Tommy again, a certain look on his face as he dug deep into his eyes, looking for something.

“Oh this is too fucking good.” He laughed, holding out a hand to him like the business man he is. His one good eye sparkled in the dim light of the building they were, a toothy grin on his face as Tommy blinked at him.

“My name is Quackity, kid. And your Red. Its so nice to meet you.” He smiled brightly at him, leaning in ever so slightly to catch the slight twitch to Tommy’s lip, confirming his suspicions.

Fuck. Fuck .

“I— uh, what ?” He breathed out, staring at Quackity like he had just told him the secrets to the universe.

“Its so obvious, Red. Your bat, clothes? Fuck, even your hair. No one walks around with that much blood on them. And your nonchalance with that zombie, not to mention the way you reacted. You gave yourself away, fell right into my trap.” He still held his hand out with a grin on his face, waiting for him to take it. He was not going to shake his hand.

“Im quite impressed that the feared Red is just a kid, though. Kind of sad knowing you’ve killed hundreds of people by now when your literally a stick.” He looked him up and down, taking in his starved appearance with a slight frown, noticing how his clothes hung off of his bony frame, his thin jacket barely keeping any of the cold out.

Tommy was just standing there dumb-founded, blinking at Quackity. How the fuck did he get that he was Red from all of that? He was on a whole other level then anyone he had ever met before.

“Don’t worry though, Im a big fan of your work, really. I appreciate you taking out the competition around here. Anyways, your secret is safe with me…” Tommy knew that wasn’t the end to that sentence as Quackity’s grin widened, his sharp brown eye pinning him to the spot.

“For a price, that is.” There it was. Tommy tensed up, not reaching out for his hand that had been held out this whole time. It was quite embarrassing, really, just holding your hand out like that for so long.

“And what if I just killed you here and now, then?” He asked, shifting his weight onto one leg as he stared at Quackity. He laughed, retracting his hand as his eyes glanced all around them, searching for something Tommy would not be able to find.

“Oh trust me, you don’t want to even attempt at doing that. I have men surrounding this whole building, ready to kill you at any moment.” He shrugged, his eye flicking back to him. Tommy didn’t react to that, his suspicions confirmed now as he stared at Quackity.

Tommy groaned, his posture slumping as he leaned against the wall, pressing a hand to his face. Fuck, this was annoying. He had fallen right into Quackity’s trap and was now stuck in the webs.

“What are you proposing, then?” He asked, glancing at him. Quackity beamed, taking another step towards him.

“We all know how you hate camps, yeah? Well, I have a couple for you that I want targeted.” He mused, a small smile tugging at his lips. Tommy rolled his eyes, so he wanted him to take out more camps for his won benefit.

Tommy felt disgust clawing up his chest and scratching its way through his throat the longer he stared at Quackity, he just wanted to use him to get what he wanted. He would die by his hands.

“And, of course, you can’t target my little casino here, Red.” He laughed, as if finding something funny. “I do worry about you, though.” Quackity suddenly frowned, looking him over once again before he brightened up, a small smile on his lips, pulling at the scar on his face.

“I also want to take care of you, kid. Even if your a mass-murderer you shouldn’t be all alone.” He said, taking another step towards him. Tommy’s icy blue eyes made him freeze in his tracks.

“Fuck you, I can take care of myself.” He hissed, pushing all of his hate and irritation into his voice. “This is such bullshit— no one would even believe you if you said I was Red!” He exclaimed, pushing himself off of the wall to stand face to face with Quackity.

Quackity’s look turned dark as a sinister smile graced his lips, making Tommy falter as doubt flickered across his mind. “Trust me, kid, people would believe me .” He said with the utmost certainty that had Tommy questioning his options.

“So, what will it be? Either you accept my little proposal and come with me to your new home, or you walk away with your identity being revealed to everyone.” He grinned, beaming at Tommy, knowing he had him cornered. There was only one option and he knew that, the bastard.

Tommy felt sick, his stomach churning as he listened to Quackity talk. He wanted to fucking kill him, but the invisible threat of someone killing him kept him at bay. Quackity was just like the rest of the, the epitome of why he killed camps. Accepting this deal made him want to hurl, but he had no food in his stomach to even throw up, so if anything he would just be dry-heaving, and that is no fun at all.

He glared at him, hate and anger rolling off of him at the very idea of even entering this stupid casino.

“Fuck you.” He spat, his grip on his bat tightening. What choice did he really have here? He couldn't risk his name getting out to everyone, his life would just get ten times harder if word got out Red was an alone child wandering the streets with a bat in hand.

Quackity held out his hand, a silent push for him to accept the deal. He wanted to die, to curl up into a little ball and sob about how unfair this was. He took in a sharp breath, his icy blue eyes meeting his sharp brown ones.

“After I destroy the other camps, I’m free to go?” He asked. He needed to know exactly what this deal entailed. Quackity frowned, before nodding.

“I suppose, unless you would want to stay.” He grinned at him, expecting the latter. Tommy would never stay in his stupid casino any longer then need be.

“Fucking fine.” He snapped, quickly shaking his hand before pulling it back, glaring at him. “If you go back on our little deal here I’ll kill you.” He hissed, the warning clear in his voice. He was going to kill Quackity’s whole camp anyways, but maybe the man will see through his little threat and understand what Tommy was really planning.

He did not, only rolling his eyes. “As you should.” He mused, stepping on past Tommy as he moved to the opening in the concrete wall, looking out at the casino.

“Welcome aboard, Red, to Las Nevadas .” He said in a grand voice, his one good eye taking in the quartz casino in front of them. “Though I don’t think I should be calling you Red, hm?” He asked, looking over his shoulder at him. Tommy glowered at him, his hand clenching into a fist as he stared at Quackity.

Fuck him. He’ll die by his hands and Tommy will enjoy every second of it.

“Tommy.” He said sourly, “My name is Tommy.”

“Perfect, Tommy , welcome to Las Nevadas!”

~~~~

Quackity, Tommy learned, was one for theatrics. He thought his dead best friends were bad but Quackity was on a whole other level. It was so embarrassing, too, like he was a grown ass man doing all of this shit.

He would talk in such a grand voice and twirl around and hold his arms out like he was acting or some shit. He had a story for everything, telling some stupid tale for each little thing no matter how big or small it was.

He had been walking with the man for what felt like ages, down dark twisting halls of the casino, only illuminated by fucking holes in the walls and ceiling and the occasional candle or lantern left laying around. Quackity seemed to know where he was going, though, even as he lead Tommy through fucking pitch dark halls to other rooms full of nonsense.

Las Nevadas was a festering place full of wronguns and evil people that needed to be killed. He would enjoy every moment he swung his bat and bashed peoples head in, leaving them all to die.

Including the very annoying person who was currently poking him in his arm right now that had a stupid grin on his stupid face. Said person had light brown eyes with brown hair that sweeped part of his face.

“Dap me up?” He said, over and over again. Usually Tommy would laugh and play along with someone of the sorts, but he was fucking pissed and not even this go-lucky guy would snap him out of his sour mood.

He craved blood and violence and he wanted nothing more than to swing his bat and bash in Quackity’s head. He was just standing there, talking to some Schlatt while Tommy was off to the side, waiting like a lost puppy.

He was seething with anger and hate and disgust, all of it pointed at the one man who had fucking brought this upon him, using his name as leverage. It was so fucking annoying.

But he had a weapon no one knew about it. It made him so dangerous and unpredictable. He was a predator playing along with its unsuspecting prey, acting docile and soft until the right opportunity presented itself.

This place was full of armed men, ready to defend Quackity in a heart beat. The man was never alone, either, always around someone. Eyes constantly watched him from the lurking shadows of the dark, cold casino, a gun always pointed towards him.

He was not trusted here.

He would pounce and end Quackiy’s life in a heartbeat, at the flip of a switch, done playing along. He would take joy in dragging out his death, slowly letting him bleed out as he begged for mercy at his feet, from the cruel torture Tommy would put him through.

Soon enough, that is. The voices demanded his revenge and blood and death, so, so much death. Who was Tommy to say no to them? He would make it hurt .

He was dragged out of his thoughts as fucking Charlie grabbed his arm, shaking it slightly. He immediately ripped his arm out of his grip, his head whipping around to glare at him with icy eyes.

Charlie had a slightly hurt look on his face as he stared at Tommy through his dusty glasses, a confused look in his eyes.

“Tommy? You alright?” He asked in that stupid annoying voice of his, reaching out to touch him again.

Tommy flinched back out of his grip, a growl rising up in his throat before he stifled it. He was not an animal, he reminded himself.

Sometimes he really did just want to fucking bite—

“Don’t touch me.” He snapped, glaring at Charlie with icy blue eyes, anger swimming in his ocean-blue depths.

“Why won’t you just leave me alone already?” He hissed, clutching his bat close to his chest. He hasn’t let it out of his hands the whole time he was here, always keeping an eye out for anyone who tried to jump him.

Charlie just blinked at him, tilting his head in a confused manor. Tommy wanted to punch him so badly it almost hurt to stop himself.

“Okay, no worries! I can leave you alone if that’s what you want?” He smiled at him, his eyes brightening up again as he stared at Tommy. Tommy wanted to drag a hand down his face and groan in frustration. Charlie would be the first to fucking go.

“Yes! Oh god yes— just leave me be!” He exclaimed, his blue eyes wide as he tried to make him understand. Charlie nodded, taking one small step away and looking away, keeping his damn mouth shut.

Tommy mumbled ‘good riddance’ under his breath as he leaned against the wall, glaring at Quackity and Schlatt as they fucking flirted in front of him, mumbling things into each other’s ears and laughing.

Schlatt was a tall guy, long and lanky, with an old tattered suit on and slicked back brown hair. He had this glint in his brown eyes that spelt trouble and corruption, along with the way he held himself and spoke, as if he was trying to convince the whole world he should be president.

His voice was annoying too, full of twisted meanings and fake promises.

Charlie slowly turned to look at him again, blinking at him as he slowly scooted closer to him, inch by inch. Tommy ignored him, feeling a burst of irritation flutter up in his chest. The moment he went to open his mouth Tommy was pushing himself off of the wall and storming up to the duo, grabbing Quackity by his arm and pulling him away from Schlatt, his fingers digging into his skin.

“Let’s fucking go .” He snapped, staring down at the short man. Quackity had a shocked look on his face before he composed himself, shaking Tommy’s hold off of him. He glanced at Schlatt who was giving him a questioning look.

“Its alright. He’s just… overwhelmed, is all. This is quite the change, no?” Quackity mused, shooting Tommy a glare. Tommy bristled, having to actually stop himself from lunging at Quackity and strangling him.

The voices weren’t helping either, chanting for him to kill, slowly rising up in volume. He was actually going to snap if he wasn’t left alone soon.

Quackity must have sensed how fucking pissed off Tommy was, as he cleared his throat, telling Charlie to run off.

“Come on then, I’ll show you to your room. We can finish this tomorrow.” He said, beginning to walk down more halls. “There isn’t really set places to sleep, so we just have one big room where everyone sleeps at.” He shrugged.

Tommy was about to fucking explode .

“Quackity, I’m going to fucking kill someone if I’m not left alone in the next five minutes.“ He seethed through gritted teeth, stopping dead in his tracks, his grip on his bat so tight his knuckles were going white and he was loosing feeling in his fingers.

Quackity paused, turning to look back at him with an unreadable look. His one good eye glinted before he slowly nodded, taking him serious. Thank god.

“Alright, then, there’s plenty of spaces to sleep away from others—“ He began but Tommy was already storming off past him, walking down the hall and away from him.

“Tommy— find me tomorrow then, we have a lot to talk about!” He called after him. Tommy didn’t even acknowledge that he heard him as he swiftly rounded a corner, shooting off down the hallway as quickly as he could, his long legs carrying him far.

Eventually he found himself up in the balcony that over-looked the main floor of the casino. He had climbed up an old rusty ladder and had made himself at home amongst the old lottery machines, curling up in a corner with his bat besides him.

He pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs as he hid his face in his legs, closing his eyes. He was finally alone, with only the creaking of the building gracing his ears.

He took in a shaky breath, feeling the familiar sting of tears in his eyes.

Why was he crying?

He was such a baby, wasn’t he? He just wanted to be anywhere but here right now, away from Quackity and Charlie and Schlatt and everyone else in this stupid casino—

He exhaled, one singular tear falling from his eyes. He didn’t bother wiping it away as he buried his face further into his knees, curling impossibly closer to himself.

He would kill them all.

~~~~

“Tommy, I’m not sending you out until you’ve had at least a week’s worth of proper meals.” Quackity said from where he sat across from him, a plate of cold meat and beans in front of him that tasted like nothing.

Tommy had barely touched it, he literally couldn’t eat half of it and he felt sick the longer he was in Quackity’s presence. His arms were folded in his lap as he leveled Quackity with an icy stare, his blue eyes unwavering.

“Thats bullshit Quackity, and you know it!” He bristled, leaning forwards closer to him, his blue eyes swimming with an unbridled anger. “I don’t need to fucking eat ‘proper meals’ to do what you want me to do!” He exclaimed, only realizing after what he said just how terrible it sounded, but did he really give a fuck? No.

Quackity seemed to realize it too, as his eyes winded, worry creasing his brows as he leaned forwards with a new dark interest. Tommy wasn’t going to give in, though, as he held his gaze with a fierce look.

“I’ve gone weeks without eating and look where thats got me, huh? I’m still kicking and fighting, bitch, I don’t need that stupid fucking rule!” He snapped, crossing his arms angrily. Fuck, this guy was reminding him of Dream of all people. The controlling and manipulating bastard.

“You know how terrible that sounds, right?” He asked as if he wasn’t sure Tommy understood that. He snorted, leaning back in his chair as he rolled his eyes, his hands balling into fists.

“Who gives a shit, big Q? Hm? Not you, and most definitely not me .” He said sourly, “Food is something I get every once in a while, usually after I raid a camp.” He waved a hand in the air, some of his anger dissipating.

“Leave it be, will you? Enough with your pity and fake concern, I don’t care what you think, and I don’t want you to worry about me.” He leaned in closer to the man, his icy blue eyes sharp as he locked gazes with him. Tension spiked between the two as Tommy’s whole mood shifted to something dangerous the longer he stared at Quackity.

“Im a murderer, you know?” He mused, a small sadistic smile playing on his lips, “I feed off of peoples pain and suffering as I watch the life drain from their eyes.” He leaned even closer towards the short man, seeming to unnerve him from the dark look in his ocean blue eyes.

“You know the best way to kill someone?” His voice was barely above a whisper now, “Cut them open and pull out their guts and make them choke on it, as you peel off their fingernails and gouge their eyes out with a piece of metal all the while they’re awake—“

”Enough.” Quackity snapped, pulling away from Tommy. He looked a little sick if Tommy had to say, a frown on his face as his good eye swirled with different emotions. Tommy smugly smiled to himself as he leaned back in his chair, admiring his hands. Killing Quackity would be so much fun .

“What? Can’t handle what I do, big man? You are forcing me to take out a couple camps for you, so I see no problem in explaining what exactly I do.” He shrugged, his icy eyes catching the disgusted look on Quackity’s face.

“I don’t need to know how it happens, kid .” He said sternly, “Just as long as it does.”

He shrugged, glancing back at him. “Fine by me, as long as you don’t set stupid fucking rules.” He threatened, already getting more stories of disgusting gory things he’s done.

Quackity seemed to mull it over for a moment, a contemplating look on his face.

“Fine. You don’t have to wait a week, but in your stay here you must eat as many meals as you can a day.” He said firmly, his tone leaving no room for arguing. “I don’t care if it’s only one, as long as you literally can’t take another bite without throwing up.”

Tommy’s fiery eyes meet his and he sighed. “Fine.” He said, that was fair he guessed. But if the food tasted like shit he was not going to be eating it.

“Good.” Quackity said, shifting slightly in his seat, “The first camp I want you to hit is this one here…” 

Quackity showed him on the map the camps he wanted gone. It was five in total, all relatively small expect for one that would prove a bigger challenge, according to Quackity. It was also the first one he wanted taken out, the biggest threat to Las Nevadas or some stupid shit.

Charlie came in one time with a new jacket and clothes for him, which Tommy sourly accepted. Quackity said having a blood-soaked shirt would only give him away.

Quackity said he could leave tomorrow to take out the camp, otherwise today he was supposed to ‘rest’ and get fully settled into Las Nevadas.

He just wanted this bullshit to be done with already.

He found himself aimlessly walking the halls, his bat in hand and a stone lodged in his stomach weighing him down, the cold meal making him feel sick and clammy.

Tommy heard voices drifting from a room down the hall as he slunk in the dark hallways. He recognized Schlatt’s voice as he laughed. Tommy frowned, slowing down as he quieted his steps, trying to hear what he was saying.

“Don’t you think its a little suspicious that Quackity just happens to find some random kid right before the Syndicate visit?” Schlatt said, his voice just above a whisper. Tommy froze outside of the room, pressing his back against the wall as he strained to listen to what they were saying.

He hid away in the shadows, barely breathing as he listened in on to what he was saying.

“A tad bit, yeah.” Came a new voice, higher pitched and full of disinterest. Tommy frowned, straining to listen in on their conversation.

“We can’t trust em’.” Schlatt bluntly said, shifting around in the room. “I want you to keep a close eye on him, for me. If he does anything suspicious I need you to report it immediately.” Schlatt said with a thoughtful hum.

“If we could kill him I would order it, but Quackity would be mad.” He imagined Schlatt waving his hand in the air with a disappointed look in his eyes, “Well, if he is working for the Syndicate then taking him prisoner will give us benefits, surely?”

“Ah, yes, the blood-thirsty Syndicate will so care about some random child they sent to gather intel or whatever.” Deadpanned the second person, “Cut the shit, Schlatt. You just don’t like him and are paranoid like the old senile man you are.” Snapped the voice, the light tone disappearing.

“No need to get all testy with me, Foolish. Im only speaking my thoughts.” Schlatt said, “Im assuming your going to do it, correct? We can’t just let this no-body stay unsupervised.”

There was a long pause between the two men, as Foolish took in a deep breath.

“I’ll do it, but you’ll owe me big time, Schlatt.” Foolish said sharply.

“Perfect.” Tommy took this as his cue to leave. He tip toed back down the hall, careful to avoid anyone as he made his way back to the main part of the casino that was filled with dusty lottery machines, pool tables, and boxes stacked high.

He had a tight grip on his bat, lost in his own mind as he thought. He unconsciously shot a random person he walked by a glare as he made his way towards his ladder.

Schlatt suspected him of being part of some Syndicate , a spy of sorts(he thinks), and has sent Foolish to keep an eye on him. Tommy has no fucking clue what the Syndicate even is, how could he even be part of such a ridiculous sounding thing?


He felt anger and hate simmer up in his chest at the thought of someone following him around and watching his every move. How was he supposed to take out the camps if he had someone trialing after him?

Tommy paused, an idea forming in his head.

If he got Foolish to follow after him when he was going to kill a camp he could kill him. It would be the easiest way of getting him out of his hair, and plus he would be one step closer to killing off this camp.

He smiled, a small sadistic smile as he giddily looked around the shadows, just hoping Foolish was already watching him. He was going to be a dead man.

Oh he would enjoy his slow, painful death by his hands. He would make it bloody and worth the effort of letting his prey suffer.

Not to mention when he eventually got his hands on Schlatt, he could just imagine the look of horror on his face when he learns that Tommy killed Foolish and was destroying his stupid camp he lived in.

It would be perfect.

The voices seemed to agree as well, pleading and screaming for blood. They were loud, giving him a headache as he tried to push them back down to the depths of his mind.

“In time,” He mumbled to them, knowing full well they wouldn't understand him, “Now leave me alone.” He grumbled, shifting his grip on his bat.

Tommy was so close to his ladder before the most annoying person in the whole world opened his stupid fucking mouth.

“Tommy! Hey— Tommy?” Charlie called, running up besides him as he waved to him, a bright smile on his face. Tommy froze, his fingers twitching as he resisted the urge to kill Charlie right then and there.

The fucker.

Who did he think he was, trying to talk to him when he was practically a god ?

“What?” He snapped, not even looking at him as irritation grew in his throat. He didn’t even give him time to respond before he was saying, “Leave me the fuck alone, will you?” He growled, shooting him a look over his shoulder.

He was not in the mood for Charlie’s bullshit.

Charlie looked innocent and confused, tilting his head as he gave him a small, unsure smile. Tommy would have felt bad once for being so mean, but he couldn't help it. He was mad that he was here and Charlie just made it worse.

“Oh— I, um, I wanted to ask how you are doing?” Charlie asked, taking a small step back as he stared down at his feet, fiddling with his hands. Tommy stared blankly at him, as Charlie awkwardly stood there, squirming under his icy glare.

“I know this can be a lot—“ He began, tentatively looking up at him.

“No shit.” He cut him off, twisting around to face him, “Getting taken here against your will sure does that to a person.” He said sourly, glaring at him. Charlie had the audacity to look up with a shocked expression on his face, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“Hold on— there’s no way Quackity of Las Nevadas would do that!” Charlie exclaimed, really putting up the act. Tommy huffed, rolling his eyes.

“I guess you don’t know him as well as you thought, Charles.” He said, watching in amusement as Charlie wrinkled his nose at that. “Now if you do-oh-so mind to leave be alone I’ll be on my way.” He said, turning back around and taking a few steps forwards.

“Charles?” He heard him whisper under his breath, “Wait— Tommy!” He called, thankfully not rushing after him as he stayed put.

“I was going to ask if you wanted blankets!” Charlie called, and Tommy paused, looking back at him with a new, curious look. His icy blue eyes meet his as he searched for any sort of trick or joke, but he found nothing but sincerity.

Tommy felt his resolve about Charlie shift ever so slightly.

“Yeah… yeah, no, I’d like that.” He said slowly, almost as if he was signing his soul away or something. Charlie smiled, beaming as he turned on his heels, speeding off with a little pep in his step.

“I’ll meet you up at your little spot with the blankets!” He called, skipping on off and away. Tommy watched, mildly dumb-founded before he sharply turned back to the ladder, rapidly climbing up it one handed.

He found his way to his little spot, feeling eyes watching him from all sides. It was almost pacifying in a way, as he curled in on himself, his bat still in his grip. He could never relax around here.

Not even ten minutes latter Charlie was up there with him, giving him a arm full of blankets he somehow carried up the ladder. Tommy graciously accepted them, even thanking him for his kindness. Charlie was smiling widely as he left, waving him goodbye as he descended the ladder.

Tommy ended up making a little nest out of his blankets, curling on underneath them as he hid away from the cold, cruel world around him, finally able to hide from the eyes.

~~~~

It was the morning of his departure.

He was with Quackity in the same old, dusty room that he called his ‘war room’. Stupid as fuck, he knows. He even rambled on about some butcher army bullshit that Tommy zoned out for a while, he only got the part about his scar that ran down his face and eye, apparently from some ‘Blood dude’ or something like that.

“You hear me, Tommy?” Quackity said suddenly, staring intently down at him from where he stood as Tommy sat in a chair, lounging back in it. “I want you back by two days, two days , do you understand?” He asked, pacing in front of the desk.

“Two days is not enough time.” He said flatly, giving Quackity a cold look. Fuck this guy. He was going to be as difficult as possible. Two days was cutting it close, it was doable but not enough leeway time. He needed time after to recover not only from exerting himself so much but from the voices.

It was overwhelming after hearing them shouting in his ears for hours on end, fueling him with energy and the drive to kill constantly to just shut off, and leave him behind exhausted and alone, void of anything.

He needed about three hours of travel time and reconnaissance, figuring out the best way to enter and attack the camp. He would have to wait until the sun set and he could hide in the shadows, and by the second day he would be left exhausted and drained in a camp full of bodies and blood.

He would have to take a nap to re-fresh his energy, which depending on how much energy he used would determine how long he was passed out for. He wouldn’t know until he woke up.

“I’m going to take three days, big Q.” Tommy said, crossing his arms over his chest, “You can’t say shit about it.” He said sourly, glaring at him.

“Your asking me to do this shit, you have no clue how long it takes and what the consequences are. I will take as long as I need,” He paused, thinking, “A week at the longest.” He ignored Quackity’s angry expression as he waved him off, “When you single-handily kill off an entire camp you can come talk to me, until then keep your stupid fucking mouth closed.” He said in a cold tone, a dangerous glint in his eye.

“Four days, give or take.” Quackity said, his good eye blazing in the dim light. Tommy sighed, his eyes narrowing. He had an itch to hurt someone, and that someone being Quackity. What was he not understanding here?

“No. A week.” He said flatly, “I never said I would take a week, by all means, but if I didn’t return by then then you can tell everyone who I am.” He shrugged, watching as Quackity glared at him.

“I don’t like that.” He said. As if he cared.

“Fuck off.” He snapped, bristling, “You preach you want to ‘protect’ me and ‘care’ for me yet you send me off to go murder people—?” He rolled his eyes, Quackity was really stupid.

“I’ll do what I want and you can’t stop me, big Q.” He said firmly, leaving no room for argument. Quackity wanted to push more, he could tell by the way his fingers twitched and his eyebrow rose slightly.

“I’ll be expecting you in the next three days, then?” He asked through gritted teeth. Tommy smiled and nodded his head, his blue eyes shining with delight. He won !

“Oh, yes, yes. You can count on me.” He smugly ginned at him, enjoying this. It was fun by all means.

“You should leave if you want to get there at a decent time.” Quackity suggested, “The guards have been informed you are leaving the camp for business .” He simply said, gesturing to the door.

“Go.” He said, looking at him expectantly. Tommy sighed, slowly getting up as he grabbed his bat, pulling his jacket closer around himself. He felt as if he was getting scolded by a parent right now.

“Alright, alright. Im going.” He mumbled, some of his bones popping as he stood up. He went to open the door when Quackity stopped him.

“Stay safe, kid. Don’t die.” He said, worry lacing his voice as he let his little facade fall for a moment. Tommy felt his anger grow at that, as he shot him a look. He wasn’t one for morals, obviously, but Quackity seemed to be just as fucked up as him.

“I’ll try.” He shrugged curtly as he left, letting the door fall shut behind him with a small bang. He looked down the hall before making his way out, feeling a certain pair of eyes on his back.

He made it a whole hour away from the camp, heading directly towards the rival one when Foolish slipped up. Tommy caught sight of his lithe form out of the corner of his eyes as he ducked behind a tree, hiding away again.

He smiled and continued on walking as if he saw nothing, weaving through the bare trees and foliage that covered the ground.

A light cold drizzle started to fall from the sky, small freezing droplets of water collecting on his skin and clothes, soaking him through.

He didn’t really mind it, though, it was annoying that the droplets were dripping in his eyes from his hair.

He ran a hand through his hair, slicking it back as he took a small break, not even attempting to try and warm up, leaning against a tree as he observed his finger nails, his bat in his other hand.

Water fell down onto him from the trees, splattering against his clothes and soaking him even more. He let the cold seep into his very being, straight down to his bones as he embraced it, eventually feeling numb to it all.

He closed his eyes, feeling the lull of memories lapping at his mind.

… “Woah— Tubbo, look!” Tommy exclaimed from where he was standing on the bank of a river, squatted down as he peered into its murky depths. Snow covered the banks and there was a thin layer of ice on the top as the dark blue water swirled underneath it and in the middle, not completely frozen over yet.

It was freezing out, Tommy’s hands and feet had gone numb a while ago but he pushed through it, excited to finally be out of the camp and looking at something interesting . He had been spending way to much time back there.

“Yeah?” He heard Tubbo call from further down the river, where he was messing around with the ice. Tommy grinned as he dropped a rock onto the layer of ice, watching as it went straight through and broke the ice off into chunks.

He watched the ice pieces float down the river on the fast water, getting carried away.

He heard Dream calling his name faintly from behind him as he turned around and waved the man to him, smiling brightly. Dream was maneuvering his way through the forest as he caught sight of him, bee-lining straight for him.

“Dream! Dream— come look at what we found!” He yelled at him excitedly— Dream would love this! He couldn’t wait to show Dream the icy waters— he was certain he even saw some fish swimming around in its murky depths.

Dream slowly walked up to him as he went back to observing the waters, each foot step crunching in the snow as he got closer, not saying a word. Tommy was humming happily as he held another rock in his hand, holding it over the ice as he decided where to drop it next.

He frowned, biting his tongue as he concentrated, some of his curly blonde hair falling in front of his face.

“Dream, Dream! Watch this!” He said, making a happy noise when the rock fell, going straight through the ice and into the dark water with a plop. He looked back at Dream with the biggest smile he could ever have, for Dream felt like a brother to him.

Dream was so much taller than him, too, and smart and strong and kind. He was so nice, saving Tommy from the city after his foster parents left him to die. It was a hard blow to him, being left behind by the people who were supposed to take care of you, but he had Dream so he would be alright!

Dream smiled, a small decisive one as he leaned down next to him, a dark look in his green eyes.

“Oh?” He asked, tilting his head ever so slightly as his eyes flickered to the rushing water behind him. Tommy grabbed onto his arm, smiling as he pointed back to the water.

“Look at the water! Have you ever seen it do that before?” He asked, his eyes beaming as he stared at the cool crystal like ice on the top of the river.

“Yes, I have.” Dream said curtly, “Why don’t you take a closer look ?” His voice got so dark and angry as he suddenly pushed Tommy forwards into the river without a second thought, shoving him into the freezing water.

Tommy’s blue, innocent eyes went wide as he watched Dream smile as he hit the water, his back stinging form the impact as he was instantly soaked in the freezing liquid.

Tommy tried to scream as he got dragged under the freezing water, water surging into his mouth as he gaged on it, an icy chill seeping its way into his clothes, soaking its way to his very bones as it dragged him down.

The water swirled all around him, dragging him down and down until he was scraping against the rocks at the bottom as he tried to swim up, kicking off the bottom to get back up to the surface, to the air .

He could feel panic rising as the surface seemed so far away and he was loosing all the breath in his lungs and he was going to die—

The current pulled him back up, and up as he kicked and frantically swam towards the surface, to the light, his head breaching the surface as he gasped for breath, water trickling into his lungs as he struggled to stay afloat.

He heard Tubbo screaming as he tried to make his way to the edge of the river, but his arms were growing weak and tired as the cold dragged him back down under the water again. His ears were muffled and his eyes were stinging from the cold water, unable to keep them open for much longer.

He was being tossed and tumbled around like a plastic bag, weightless to the world around him as if he was nothing.

He could feel his breath running out as his movements grew lethargic and weak, a ringing setting into his ears again. His whole body was numb from the cold, and when he hit the rocks he could barely feel it as it scraped up his skin.

Yet he seemed at peace as he let the water drag him along, down and down with no one else into its dark depths. He was down here alone, with the dim blue light and the rocks and bubbles. It was beautiful almost, if you looked past the part where he was drowning and dying.

He breached the surface again as someone grabbed him, pulling him against the current until he was dragged onto the land. Everything went by in a blur.

His ears were still ringing, and his eyes were all blurry, and he wasn’t breathing. His lungs just weren’t working.

He saw a flash of green before the darkness consumed him…

Tommy blinked back open his eyes, breaching the surface of his own memories. He didn’t usually let them pull him under like that, as he felt unfamiliar emotions swirl around his chest. Droplets of water fell from his eye lashes as he leaned his head back to rest against the tree, taking in a deep breath. Some of his soaked blonde hair curled up around his face, droplets of water sliding down them.

He had only been like twelve when that happened. Dream fucking pushed him in the river for not listening.

He almost died. He had hypothermia and was sick for weeks on end, barely managing to pull through the winter.

Dream never apologized.

Tommy shivered, feeling cold from the rain and his memory.

He was waiting for Foolish.

Tommy was staring at the ground, thinking, when he heard the rustle of undergrowth that wasn't from the light rain fall. He didn’t even bother to look up as he grinned, flashing his shiny white teeth to nothing. His melancholy mood dissipated like smoke as his blue eyes sharpened.

“Ah, Foolish, so nice of you to join me.” He said, glancing up with icy blue eyes at the man hiding behind a cluster of trees. He was stupid as fuck, he could see some of his brown hair sticking out from behind them.

Foolish stiffened before he slowly stepped out from where he had been hiding, holding his hands up. Foolish had flat brown hair, along with a big warm-looking jacket on with the hood up. He had jeans and old boots that squelched every time he took a step. He sucked at stealth.

Foolish was about twenty feet away from where Tommy was leaning against a tree, the both of them completely soaked through in water.

“Why are you following me?” He decided to ask, even though he already knew the answer. Playing with your prey before you killed it was always fun, added to the excitement of it.

“I follow everyone new around, kid, your not special.” Foolish lied and shrugged, playing it off so innocently. Tommy frowned, pushing himself off of the tree as he swung his bat around, water droplets swinging off of it.

“Really?” He mused, his blue eyes catching his brown ones. Foolish was good at hiding his emotions, he had to hand it to the guy.

“Did Quackity order this, hm?” He asked, taking some slow steps towards him. Foolish stood his ground, watching him with a blank look.

“You don’t need to know.” Foolish replied cooly, shifting on his feet, “Now if you don’t mind, I’ll just be heading back to camp. I don’t believe my services are required here any longer, no?” He said, not really asking Tommy as he took a step back, never turning his back to him.

“Oh- no, no, wait.” Tommy smiled, slinking on up towards him like a cat, his boots crunching the wet leaves underneath him. “Don’t go just yet, I think I may need you.” His blue eyes darkened as he came face to face with Foolish. He was slightly taller then him, as he stared at him with an intense look.

He was clearly unnerving the man.

“Y-yeah? What is it, then?” Foolish stuttered, and oh, there it was. The break in the facade. His smile grew wider.

“Well, let me tell you a secret real quick, big man.” He smiled, leaning in ever so closer to him. Foolish seemed uncertain but went along with it, his brown eyes flashing to the bat in his hand for a moment.

“Im Red .” Two little, harmless words yet they mean so much. Tommy swung his bat into Foolish’s knee cap before he even had time to respond, hearing a sickening crack come from it.

Foolish screamed in pain, immediately falling to the ground from the force of the impact and now that his knee was throughly fucked.

Tommy watched him with hungry eyes as Foolish stared at him in horror, his face contorted in pain as he gently held one hand above his hurt knee, whimpering in pain as he tried to drag himself away from Tommy.

Tommy stalked towards him like the predator he is, circling around him. If he were to ever be an animal he would be a lion or tiger, one of the top predators, stalking and playing with his prey.

“Y-your Red?” He breathed out, his breaths coming out labored and fearful. Tommy nodded, smiling brightly at him.

“You got it, Fool-ish.” He mused, his blue eyes twinkling, “Your name is kind of a perfect representation for you. You are very foolish, Foolish .” He laughed, some drops of water dripping off of his eye lashes.

“You should have thought better then to follow me , I mean come on, the Syndicate? Really? I don’t even know what the fuck that is!” He exclaimed, waving his arms around for extra emphasis.

The life drained from Foolish’s face as he stared at Tommy, his whole body locking up.

“Youknew ?” He asked, his mouth slightly agar as he blinked dumbly at him.

“Well, of course! Im not death, man, I could hear all the way down the hall.” He shrugged, his eyes twinkling. “Its just fun messing around with you, entertaining this silly little game of yours.”

Foolish was pale, all redness gone from his face. He looked like he was about to be sick.

“Are you… going to kill me?” He bluntly asked, his brown eyes staring at the wet leaves at Tommy’s feet.

“I think you know the answer to that one, Fools.” He said in an amused tone, leaning down closer to him. “I did just tell you who I really am. Anyone with that information has to die, you know? Got to protect my secret identity, after all.” He fucked Foolish over from the beginning, ever since he set foot into that camp.

Only he was dying sooner than the rest, but that was alright. The voices wanted it, yearned for it. They were demanding blood and death right now, their chants echoing through his head and slowly getting louder and louder.

“Is there any way I can change your mind?” He numbly asked, still staring down at his muddy shoes. Tommy slowly reached out his hand, hooking his finger under Foolish’s chin and tilting his face to look up at him.

His brown eyes were wavering as tears threatened to spill, his lip wobbling ever so slightly as he met his icy blue eyes.

“Nope.” He smiled, before he swung his bat, hitting him in the side of the head. Foolish’s scream was cut off as his body slumped to the ground, part of his skull was caved in, leaving behind a nasty dent in his head.

Tommy watched his twitching form, as his body began to convulse as he had a seizure. It was like he was watching him getting electrocuted.

Tommy pulled out a knife from his boot, walking over to his convulsing form as foam appeared at his mouth, his eyes having rolled back into his skull, only the white part was visible. It looked like he was being fucked possessed by a demon.

He ran his knife down along his stomach, slitting it open like he was gutting an animal. He stepped back and watched as his guts and organs started to spill out of the open wound, blood pouring out of it and soaking his clothes in the thick red liquid.

His convulsions only aided in the spillage of organs and blood from his stomach, a red puddle already forming around his body, mixing with the rain water.

Tommy was slightly disappointed Foolish hadn’t put up much more of a fight, but what could you really do when your knee cap was bashed in? He tsked, watching as he finally went still, his last breath dying at his lips.

What a way to go, whoever fucking finds this is going to have one hell of a day.

Tommy felt a small sadistic smile grace his lips, tucking his knife away into his boot as he began on walking again, throughly soaked through to the bone with water, his bat in one hand and his free hand in his pocket.

He smiled to himself, looking up at the rain clouds as the water began to come down harder. He pulled his hood up, done with being all wet and soaked. He just wanted to be dry, was that to much to ask for?

Clearly, as the rain began to pelt him harder, even small balls of ice hitting him as well.

What a way to start your day, he supposes.

Now it was time to destroy a camp.