Crack Of Dawn (Dream x GeorgeNotFound)

The Hanged Man

George lay in the bed, too messed up to move. His bones ached every time he shifted. The fun effects of the ridiculous amounts of alcohol he had put in his system last night were gone, leaving only the dry mouth, splitting aches and the will to die behind.

He clutched his forehead as he embarked on his quest to merely stand up. A trivial task that usually took him a couple of seconds had turned into a harrowing experience.
He fought against every muscle in his body begging him to stop, to just lay back down and never move again.

Finally, he was sitting upright, too afraid to take his weight off the bed. He felt the carpet under his feet, the texture sending vibrations throughout his whole body. He quickly jolted back, kicking it away.

With a hand on the nightstand, he attempted putting his body weight on his legs, instead. The neverending shivers all over his limbs wasn't helping, forcing him to stay bound to the bed.

He stared at the floor as he saw a pair of slippers making their way out of the bathroom and into the shared bedroom. A hand reached out to help him up, bringing him over to the couch.

He took the time while he was standing upright to take a look around the room. It was basic, with simple essential furniture. He realized how bad his hangover was when even the barely noticeable odor of furniture cleaner made his skull feel like it had split in two. He asked his friend to crack open a window while he made himself comfortable on the couch.

"Thanks, Sap." He kicked his feet up on the coffee table in front of him, earning a disapproving glance from Sapnap. "What time is it?"

He waited as the man checked his phone, then took a seat next to him. "2 PM."

George leaned over to grab the TV remote from the table, tremors running through his body as soon as he moved. He was pulled back into the soft couch before he could fall over.

"Would be great if I could actually perform basic human tasks, y'know?" His voice was bitter from frustration.

Sapnap leaned over to grab the remote and pressed a button. "Well, it would also be great if you guys hadn't gotten shitfaced and basically punted the responsibility of dragging you to the hotel right at me."

He sounded reproachful, but George didn't have enough brainpower to worry about that. He diverted his attention to the news that was playing on the television, broadcasting a gruesome story about a local murder.

"-onto the local news. We bring you this story just two hours after the incident. A chilling murder has taken place at Biscayne Boulevard. The law enforcement believes this to be the doing of the culprit known as The Daybreak Killer by the local communities behind the chain murders all around Miami. The victim was found hanging upside down, suspended by a rope around their leg from a utility pole on the roadside. The forensics team has declared the murder to have taken place at around exactly two hours before this broadcast. Currently, no witnesses have been identified. The investigation is currently ongo-"

The screen flickered to a home baking channel as Sapnap changed the channel.

"I was watching that!" George whined, trying to take hold of the remote, but all his friend had to do was hold it at arm's reach for it to be inaccessible to him. "Biscayne Boulevard is where we're staying! Come on!"

He may have been unable to do anything else, but playing into Sapnap's cautious side was all he needed to do to get what he wanted - the channel was changed yet again, back to the pictures of the crime scene.

The words 'The Hanged Man' had been painted in the victim's blood along the sidewalk, in perfectly formed letters. It seemed as if the killer hadn't been in a hurry, even as the victim had been displayed in plain sight.