Stay, Forever

24

Muffled voices fade in and out, and George can hear them even if he can't see who the voices belong to. But there's panic and confusion surrounding him, and he tries to piece together where he is and what's going.

There's a sharp pain in one of his legs, and he just barely remembers how the trigger sounded when it was being pulled. He's never heard a gun being fired outside of movies and television shows. It was so much louder than he would have expected.

Something warm touches the side of his face, and a dull pain radiates through his skull.

"George. Come on, George," someone speaks to him, and he tries to focus on the vaguely familiar sound of their voice, "I need you to wake up. Please, wake up."

Karl.

Karl's here, and his palm is pressed flat to the side of George's face, and this whole thing is just one big nightmare. And all George has to do is open his eyes, and it'll all be over.

"Sapnap, he's not waking up. And there's a lot of blood."

Karl sounds panicked, but George is trying his best. He wants to open his mouth and tell Karl he's right here, he can hear him and he's trying his best. But he can't. It feels like there's some invisible weight pinning him to the ground, and Karl's voice fades out and then back in as he repeats George's name again.

"Help me move him, Karl."

It's Sapnap's voice this time. Hands slide under his shoulders to grab his arms, and he feels himself being pulled up and balanced between the pair of them. His head rolls forward, and he hears Sapnap mutter, "Dream is going to murder me for this."

He's lowered down onto the couch in his living room, and he groans in pain. It's the first audible sound he's made, if Karl's reaction is anything to go by.

"George," Karl sounds hopefully, and both hands grab George's face gently, "George, it's me. It's Karl. I'm right here."

Dim lighting floods the corners of George's vision, and when he finally manages to open his eyes, Karl huffs out a relieved breath. Karl's face is hazy, but George can see that he's been crying, and he tries to reassure him by mumbling, "I'm okay. I'm fine."

Karl nods, and his hands move to George's shoulders as he says, "I'm just happy you're alive."

George tries to nod, but his head is pounding and he isn't sure why. He groans and squeezes his eyes shut, and then tips his head back against the back of the couch.

"We need to get out of here," he hears Sapnap urge, "I don't want to stick around in case anyone else shows up."

George pries his eyes open again, and his brow furrows as he registers what Sapnap is saying. His parents sent someone after them, that's why they're in this mess.

"The guy," he tries to form a coherent thought, but he's not sure he's making any sense, "where is he?"

He sees Karl glance back towards the hallway, and he looks over to see the man sprawled out on his back in a pool of blood.

Dead. He's dead.

George feels himself grow panicked, and he remembers the weight of the gun in his hand and the click of the trigger. His eyes dart over to Sapnap, and he asks, "did I...did I kill him?"

Nausea burns low in his stomach, and the room tilts around him. Karl's hands on his shoulders steady him, and he hears Sapnap answer, "no, you didn't. You got the gun, and then he attacked you. One of you pulled the trigger by accident, and your leg..."

His words trail off, and George looks down for the first time. There's a tear in the fabric covering the side of his thigh, and through the mess of blood, George can see exactly what Sapnap is talking about.